Race to the Death
by Brown Eyed Sage
Summary: Jak X novelization. Some race for fun, others for money. But to a select few, it's just to survive. And death is always in the equation.
1. Kras City Welcoming

**Hi there! I'm new to the whole Jak and Daxter franchise and I just finished ALL the games just the other day. This would be my first multi-chap story for the duo so wish me luck there. After seeing that nobody has done a revised version of _Jak X_, (and I see plenty of _Jak 2_ and _3_ stories out there) I thought I should give that a stab (no Mary-Sues, I promise.) Sorry if the beginning seems slow but I just wanted to set it up. Also, I'm being true to the J&D games so when it comes to spoilers, this is _TPL_ and on. Maybe even a couple _Daxter_ references.**

**Other than that, I can't wait until the supposedly new _Jak and Daxter _game comes out next year!**

_**last edit: 3/4/12**_

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Chapter 1  
Kras City Welcoming

Kras City. It was like any other city in the world. Buildings, clubs, and restaurants. And just like any other city, you would guess that money, crime, laundering, extortion, alcohol, and gangs would be present. Kras City could even be mistaken for it neighbor, Haven City, if you squint hard enough. But if you say that out loud, prepare to have your throat slit. Only because Kras can be very territorial (much like Haven) and any associations to the other city is usually left with disgust and bile. You can thank the previous Governor of Haven for that. But otherwise, Kras was just another city. But only a couple things stands out in the city that makes it known world wide: the combat racing circuit.

Kras was known for it's world famous races for the grand championship just as well as its well known deaths in the sport. Like the famous Kit Blitz, whose life ended tragically after a successful sabotage attempt. Leaving behind his only son to his ex-wife. Otherwise, Kras would be like any other city without the scattered racing stadiums. But another thing it was famous for was its number of crime bosses. The two biggest lords, in fact, were Krew and Mizo. And the two crime families despised one another with the utmost hatred.

Krew lived out in Haven but had many strong connections to Kras. But sadly, Krew was left for dead by a certain blond hero who also saved Haven from the Metal Heads and the world from the Dark Makers. As rumors go anyway. But when Krew passed on, it gave Mizo the chance to claim his throne as king of crime and killing anybody who thought otherwise. As well as owning the whole racing sport. Manipulating it so the odds were on his side at all times.

So when he heard that a couple of Haven's own racing champions were coming to Kras for the reading of Krew's will and the season starting soon, he couldn't help but feel concerned. He didn't know what Krew had up his flaps but he knew that it wouldn't be good for Mizo. That was when he called his flunkies to "welcome" the Haven newcomers.

* * *

Meanwhile, a certain furry orange animal with a pilot's cap and a pair of jeans trouncing up and down a local Kras bar, the Bloody Hook. Swinging around an empty beer mug, telling the tall tale of how he and his best friend came to this city to a couple of bar thugs.

"So there we were, wheel to wheel with the nastiest racing cars I've ever seen. Razor sharp chrome gleaming in the dark, weapons bristling under rumbling hoods," the fuzzy ottsel said. Extending his sentences to give a dramatic effect.

"Oh... the Kras City _welcoming_ committee," one of the thugs said with a smug smile on his tattooed face and burnt ears. The same thug grabbed a nearby bottle and started pouring into the animal named Daxter's mug (with a skull and crossbones on it but Daxter didn't notice.) "Have a drink, friend."

"Yeah, well, whoever they were, they messed with the wrong racers!" Just as he said it, Daxter jumped and tossed his drink. Emptying the contents to the floor. Failing to notice the sizzling sound the drink made when it hit the ground. "Jak and I are world famous! And we're connected too. We've been-" Daxter continued while the other thug poured the drink into his mug. "Thanks -invited to Kras City for the reading of some will. A rich guy named Krew."

"The big gang lord?" the other thug asked, apparently surprised with hearing the news.

"Yeah, _big_ is right! We were Krew's muscle in Haven City, but old tub of butter kicked the bucket. Anyway, where was I?" Daxter put the mug to his lips, the two thugs looked at him with smug faces but were suddenly disappointed when the orange animal pulled away before taking a sip. "Oh yeah!"

At another part of the city, the same blond hair, blue eyed man who was responsible for Krew's death looked around him as he got into his Sand Shark. Noticing that cars were circling around him and knew immediately that they were there to do more than just race. He sat down quickly and hit the gas.

"Slowly the racers circled us. The smell of fear hung in the air, and the smell of something else too," Daxter added to one of the thugs. "I told Jak, 'Lose the suckers!'"

Jak started off in break wind speed. Getting away from the mercenaries that were now chasing him. Noticing a nearby ramp, Jak hit the pedal to the metal and went up the ramp and went flying through the air. He landed with no damage to him but that didn't stop the thugs. But one of them did steer off course and drove right into a pillar that held up an arch. The resulting explosion killed him on the spot.

_One down, two to go_, Jak counted in his head with a little malicious smile. He pressed a button on his dash and release a land mine and one of the remaining flunkies ran over it and had half the side of the car blown off and steering him into a building. Jak took a sharp turn with a now determined look as he neared his destination.

As all this happened, Daxter had his goggles lowered and held out his arms to look like he was the one driving. Probably to embellish his story some more.

"My, my, sounds like this city's _terribly_ dangerous." Daxter lifted his goggles and looked over at the newcomer whose accent caught his fuzzy ears sounded close to being Romanian. As soon as the orange animal saw the man, he was taken aback with this man's look. A sly smile to go along with his slick back black hair, soul patch, and red racing coat. "Maybe we should get law enforcement to _crack down_," the man continued with a stifled laugh while lighting his cigarette. Daxter didn't know why, but this man's poise suddenly made him feel nervous.

"Yeah, well, this place don't scare us," he said with a shaky voice and then added with a little more defiance. "No nasty gang is gonna get us to turn tail and run."

"Sounds like they had you dead to rights. How did you survive?" the man asked, quirking an eyebrow with false interest.

Jak continued down as the last of the thugs were chasing him. But he used his cunning to turn at the right time, sending the thug to another building. Just when he thought there were no more thugs, a couple more popped out of an alley he just passed and mentally cursed at them. Not even bothering to think about why that is, he just continued to out race those additional thugs and tricking them to drive off a nearby port.

He started hearing gun shots and suddenly saw the car shooting at him racing towards him. Also seeing one behind him, Jak put on the gas and raced towards the one in front. His thumb tracing a button on his wheel and waited.

_Wait for it, wait for it,_ he thought and then when the time came, he pushed it and sent a missile towards the car in front. No time to avoid, the missile hit the car sending him over Jak and hitting the car behind him. Jak avoided the carnage that was coming his way and then did a one-eighty and stopped. Taking a breath and closing his eyes. Hoping that it was all over until he heard the sound of another car coming. He quickly opened his eyes to see just that and the cars were coming towards him.

_Where are they coming from? _He thought and then hit the pedal with great force. The Bloody Hook was now in sight.

"Jak was barely able to handle himself, but with _my_ help we took 'em all out until only one was left," Daxter continued to jump, spilling more of his drink.

"Really? You know, people in this town have a way of getting in over their heads... like at the bottom of the ocean," the mystery man added with a threatening tone. Flicking away his cigarette and the two thugs now beside him.

"Ehh... easy boys, my story's almost over," Daxter said with a shaky voice as the three fully grown men rounded up to him.

"Yes, it is!" the man said as he took out his switchblade and pointed it to the ottsel's neck but took it away as light shown in through the aquarium that stood behind the bar that served as a window. Backing away as the light glowed more brilliantly

"Wait a minute it gets better. Really!" Daxter exclaimed, now desperate to finish his story. But the lights didn't allow it as a crash came through the aquarium. A car following behind with an impressive jump over the bar and Daxter looking up with wide eyes and glued to the vehicle as it landed before the bar. Jak stood up from the seat and looked straight at Daxter.

"Dax, get in the car!" Jak yelled with urgency in his voice. Now the ottsel glared at him.

"Jak! Are you crazy? You ruined my story!" he threw a fit as well as the now empty mug in his hand to the ground. He got down from the bar as Jak looked around him and noticed some of the thugs starting to recover from the crash as they slowly got up. He turned back to Daxter with a demanding look.

"Now!" he continued to yell as the knife that was in the red coat man's hand was thrown and stuck to the bar right beside Daxter's head. The orange animal screamed and ran over to the Sand Shark.

"What are you waiting for? Step on it, Jak!" Daxter now yelled as he got on to the metal caging and clung on for dear life. Jak sat back down and shifted gear and drove out the same window he came in and drove away to safety.

"I told you not to go out. We're getting death threats, Dax. Someone doesn't want us here," Jak explained as he drove to the meeting place for Krew's will.

"Ya think? I say we take the next boat home!" Daxter exclaimed, already having enough of this city. Jak got a determined face as he glanced at his orange friend.

"Not a chance! Hang on!" he yelled and cranked up the speed.

"JAK!" Daxter yelled as the red sun was rising.

Jak continued to drive like a lunatic, avoiding a couple mishaps along the way until he came to a stop in front of a law office where he was suppose to meet his friends for the reading. He got out and glanced up at the tall building with that familiar look in his face. While Daxter took a couple heavy breaths.

"Next time you decide to drive like a maniac, remind me not to ride with you," Daxter said with every other breath. Jak sent a smirk his way.

"C'mon, we faced worse than that," Jak countered.

"Don't remind me. The last thing we need is to go on another world saving adventure," Daxter said as Jak walked by while Dax jumped on his shoulder. "And besides, if we knew Krew, he probably left us nothing," he continued to rant. Jak tilted his head, he did have a point. So why were they even there?

They stepped through and was directed to the conference room where the will will be read. He stepped through the door and scanned the room to see Torn and Ashelin on their side having a private conversation but nodded in Jak's direction. He nodded back as he continued to survey. Eyes now stopping to meet the slender figure that belong to his other best friend as she leaned against the table. Looking around the room with her dream like face. He walked over to her and took his seat beside her which now caught her attention.

"Hey Jak. I see you made it here in one piece," Keira noted.

"Define 'one piece,'" Daxter said as he got off Jak's shoulder and walked to the center of the long table.

"Had trouble, huh?" Keira asked.

"Yeah, nothing I couldn't handle though," Jak smirked and Keira couldn't help her stomach flutter.

Keira always liked Jak ever since they were little kids in Sandover Village and couldn't deny the fact that she wanted him to herself. She also use to know that he felt the same way for her back when he defeated Gol and Maia from spreading Dark Eco across the planet and when he killed Kor and stopped the Metal Head invasion. But when he was kicked out of Haven was when she really worried about him. She didn't think it to be fair to leave him out at the Wasteland when he didn't do a single thing wrong while the Metal Heads started invading again. She knew he didn't do anything and there were a number of times when she tried to tell him that only to have him push her away. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Jak was only trying to protect her and didn't want her to see or even come near him when his alter ego took over.

However, as strange as it may seem, he sought comfort from Ashelin and after he killed Erol for the second time was when they started dating. Unfortunately for her, she was the first person he told. She was heartbroken of course and she honest to God wished she could hate him for it, but she couldn't find any reason to. She can hate Ashelin no problem but when it came to Jak, he was still the same mute boy that she fell for and wanted nothing more than him being happy.

But that happiness didn't last long. After two months, the couple called it off. Saying that they were too much alike and that they would only get in each other's way when it came to duty. According to him anyway. They seemed to have a mutual respect for each other now and it had only been ten months since the break up. But, surprisingly afterwards, Jak started hanging out with Keira again. Sure it was bitter at first but she always found a way to forgive him and that came fast as he helped her rebuild the Mar Memorial Stadium to its original state with much more improvements that the previous Governor and Ashelin's father, Baron Praxis, oversaw. Now they were back to their best friend status as he accepted the fact that she liked him no matter what form of eco he may take. And now her childhood crush on him is back in full force and this time, he is not getting away that easily.

"You okay?" She blinked in his direction as Jak gave a questioning look.

"Oh! Yeah! I'm fine," she said, now realizing that she had been starring at him and quickly looked away to hide her blush.

"Let's get this over with and blow this burg." Daxter's voice rang out through the chambered room as he swung a wine glass that was placed on the table. Keira, for once, grateful for Daxter's rudeness. "Who called us here anyway?"

"Krew's daughter. Rayn," she answered as she turned to him.

"Krew had a daughter?" Jak asked with a lifted eyebrow.

"Krew... _reproduced_?" Daxter said as he now had a look of disgust as chills went up his body and dropped the wine glass with a clatter. "Eeew... Can you imagine what that tub of jelly must look like?" he asked as he splayed his arms out in front of him to display imaginary fat surrounding him, because Krew really was, as Daxter put it, an old tub of butter.

Then the sound of doors opening reached all their pointed ears and they turned to see a moderately attractive woman come in with a bottle of wine in her hands. Her misty blue braided hair bun bounced with every step.

"Thank you for coming to Kras City," the woman said with an accent sounding similar to Krew's. "It looks like some didn't make it, ah well..." With those simple two words, everyone knew who she was. She stopped in front of the table where the wine glasses stood and looked to each person in the room. "I'm Rayn. Before father died, his wishes were simple, to have his will played for his closest associates and for us to drink to his passing." As she said this, she started pouring the wine into the glasses. Placing one in front of her and leaving the rest for the others to get. "This special vintage he kept for the very occasion. To toast his death." Everyone grabbed a glass as Jak and Daxter exchanged looks. "Here's to old friends, and to father's untimely... death." They raised their glasses and gave a long sip to Krew. But Jak hesitated before drinking. Watching Rayn to make sure that Krew didn't do anything to the wine.

"So, without further delay," Rayn continued which sent a signal to Jak's mind that the drink was okay before taking in a rather long sip. "His message to us."

Rayn picked up a pad while everyone seated themselves and with a press of a button, a holographic Krew appeared over the table. Looking just as disgusting as ever.

"Hello nearly friends and mostly enemies," Krew's hologram said in that very same wheezy accent and that hover chair that carried him everywhere. As if in real life, Krew started hovering around all over the room. Occasionally stopping before certain individuals. "If you're listening to this message then I must be dead, oh well... As you all know, I loved racing almost as much as I loved weapons. Alas I never fulfilled my living dream of winning the biggest race of all - the Kras City Grand Championship. But even in death, I will field the greatest racing team ever assembled and win the biggest race on the planet. You are the best and you will race for me!"

As if on cue, everyone in the room protested with Jak exclaiming at the end: "Forget it!"

"I expect you're all riled up by now so let me tell you why you will race, and will win. If all went as planned, you just gave a touching toast in my honor." Everyone's eyebrows, including Rayn's, raised in realization. "Sorry to say, but I put poison in that special vintage, quite unsporting of me really."

"Father!" Rayn exclaimed. Outraged by her father's treachery.

"This is where Rayn will probably get upset." Rayn closed her eyes tight, avoiding her dead father's face. "Sorry dear. It's a slow acting poison, or you'd already be dead!" As he said this, Daxter's eyes rolled in his head and fainted while Ashelin sent a glare towards Krew's daughter. "You have just enough time to finish this year's racing season. If you race for me and win, my associates will provide each with an antidote to the poison." Keira, whose head has been placed on her hands lifted as her left hand skimmed the table surface until she found Jak's. He glanced to her and saw her look of despair and immediately hated it. "Simple, eh?"

With that the hologram turned off and Ashelin pulled out her gun and went toward Rayn and pointed it at her face.

"What the hell did you do to us?" she yelled at the boss's daughter, rage clearly seen on her tattooed face as she placed her foot in between Rayn's legs to prevent the blue haired woman from getting away.

"Please, I-I didn't know." Rayn put her hands up in surrender as her voice quivered "I drank it too. Father never did play favorites."

"Yeah, well your father's crazy!" Torn now joined in with the yelling as everyone surrounded the quaking woman.

"We're all crazy for coming here!" Keira yelled as well, voicing out what everyone's thinking.

"I think she's telling the truth," Jak actually defended Rayn. Seeing earnest in her face and not to mention he did witness her drinking. Then the hologram of Krew came on again and everyone turned back to it.

"Well, it's been one minute, so I figure by now you're all arguing about how to get out of this mess. My advice is trust no one! Win the race and save yourselves!" Then the hologram disappeared again.

"Jak?" Daxter asked from the center of the table as his friend now put his attention on him. "Next time you invite me to one of your little parties... DON'T!"

Jak looked around him to see the doubt and hopelessness surrounding him. Even Keira's usual high spirits seemed to crumble.

"We can do this," Jak suddenly said with optimism in his tone. "We can race and we can beat Krew at his own game." Rayn then got up and smoothed out her outfit as Ashelin put her gun away.

"Father bought us the best mobile racing garage money can buy and each of you has a racing car waiting," Rayn informed everyone.

Keira looked over at Jak and was surprised to see his optimism still floating. She thought Jak lost that along time ago in prison but she guessed after a year of repairing Haven also seemed to rebuild him. And for that, she was grateful.

"We're in this together," Rayn continued. "So let's get to it."

* * *

Everyone met up again at the Kras garage after seeing their new vehicles and the mechanic in Keira couldn't hide the intrigue as she looked over to the various counters and tool boxes filled with toys that she'll know she'll have fun with. Jak walked over to her with Daxter on his perch.

"We'll meet you in the green room in fifteen minutes," Torn instructed as the other three left them. Jak looked over the counter as well and can't help but steal glances from Keira as she surveyed with that obvious glee for the tools. For as long as Jak could remember, Keira was always a tomboy but she was still different from all the other girls he has met in both Haven, Spargus, and Sandover. And she was always there to fix something up if he ever needed it. But seeing her happy look right now is what made him focused on her.

"As much as I hate accepting tools from a dead crime lord, Krew definitely had some taste," Keira noted as she looked over a _very_ high end wrench and Jak couldn't help but feel a little miffed towards her attitude at the very moment.

"Y'know, for being poisoned, you seem all right with it," he said and Daxter smacked his forehead at his best friend's comment. Keira merely shrugged.

"Well, we've got you, Jak. And I know that you'll get us out of this," she replied, avoiding eye contact for fear her face might flush.

"What makes you think I'll get us out?"

"Because, you've done it in the past." She now faced him as she put the wrench back on the counter. "Whenever a situation seems hopeless, you always find a way to regain it. Like when you rescued my father." Jak couldn't help but blush at the memory when he saved the sages of green, yellow, blue, and red from the clutches of Gol and Maia while Keira gave him a totally foreign look that he can't seem to take his eyes off of.

"Speaking of ol' green log," Daxter finally stepped in, completely ruining the moment like he always did. "Are you going to tell him about the poison?" he asked a perfectly viable question and Keira turned away from them and looked down at the metal ground with a distant look.

"I'm going to have to. He's my dad. He'll have to know that his only daughter is slowly dying." Jak continued to look at her as the look of despair returned to her (and once again hating it.) He placed his hand on her shoulder and she gave a little jump to it as she turned to him again. Now seeing something she thought she wouldn't see ever again. His reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, it's like you said, I got us out of this before and I'll do it again." She returned his smile. "And if you want to, we'll be there with you when you tell him," he added with a friendly tone and she blinked at the two before shaking her head.

"Thanks, but I think I should tell him alone. And besides..." she trailed off as she approached Jak with a whole new seductive gleam in her eyes that made Jak stare at her wide eyed and as she came closer to him, his heart beat increased to twenty miles per hour. "I don't want you to impose. The others are waiting for us, we shouldn't keep them waiting, Jak," she said in a breathy voice that splashed onto Jak's exposed neck. She stepped away from him with a sway in her hips as she went towards the green room. Jak continued to stare at her as if he saw her for the first time. His face reddening as she disappeared from sight. Daxter could only roll his eyes as he whacked Jak upside the head. Bringing him out of his trance as the eco wielder sent a glare to the orange furball.

"C'mon, lover boy. The other's are waiting," Daxter said irritatingly and Jak could only roll his eyes at the new nickname as he walk to the green room. Upon entry, he saw everyone sitting on a circular couch on a caved in floor with high quality pillows, floor and TVs surrounding the room as well empty trophy cases. The duo took their places on the couch and they looked to Rayn expectantly.

"All right, even though we hold the Grand Championship here in Kras City, we need to win the qualifiers in other locations before even entering," she explained.

"So we won't be here until the end of the season?" Keira asked, now disappointed to hear that she won't be fixing up the cars in the Kras garage.

"_If_ we make it to the end of the season," Torn added in.

"What about the garage though?"

"Father has outlet garages in the other locations so we only need to bring the tools needed. Anyways, we need to win all the eco trophies in hopes of getting the antidote at the end. The first is the Red Eco Cup which is being held in Spargus City."

"Spargus?" Jak asked. "A little far out, isn't it?"

"I'll arrange for transport to take us and the vehicles out there," Ashelin offered in her usual commanding tone.

"There's no need for the cars," Rayn cut in and Ashelin continued to glare at her. "There are vehicles waiting for us that are durable enough for the treacherous desert sands."

"That's a good idea. Driving on the desert is not easy," Jak added in, recalling his own experiences of hunting Wasteland Metal Heads, artifact retrievals, and killing Erol out there in the very same desert.

"And the cars will be equipped with weapons but reload is provided on the track in form of yellow eco. But the selection is random so you better hope you get a good weapon. Red eco is also on the track for defensive purposes. Blue is a turbo boost and will speed you up. And of course green will make small instant repairs. But not significant enough. Keira, I understand that you are a mechanic?" Rayn put her attention on the green/blue haired girl as she nodded in response. "Good, we need your expertise if we are to make it out of this alive." She nodded again, understanding. "Also, there are many events throughout the season and the first at Spargus is a circuit race. The rules are simple, first to cross the finish line wins."

"Sounds easy, and we thought this would be tough," Daxter gloated and Jak shook his head. If the races were anything like their "welcoming" than this would not be easy _at all_.

* * *

So? What do you think? Not bad I hope (other than some editing issues...) But reviews are appreciated as well as helpful. Can't wait to hear from you guys. :D


	2. The First Race

_**last edit: 3/10/2012**_

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Chapter 2  
The First Race

They were all ready to leave Kras City for Spargus the following day with new wardrobe fitting for the desert landscape. Leather would be too bothersome as the Krew team went for clothing that was ventilating but covered enough for when sand was beating against their skin. Water was an absolute necessity as they would dehydrate faster and would need that extra drop for any occasion. They were ready for whatever was going to happen as they waited patiently for the transport.

As they watched their ride slowly descend and open its door for them, Keira looked uncertain and nervous as she assumed her father was waiting patiently at the city for their arrival and for whatever the reason his daughter wanted to talk to him about. A conversation she was dreading but knew that it had to be done.

Jak noticed how quiet she was and the conflict evident in her face as he placed his hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him as she waited for him to say something.

"It's going to be okay, I'm sure Samos will understand," he said, speaking of her father. She let out a breath of air that she didn't even know she was holding as she averted her gaze to the steel ground.

"I hope you're right." She subconsciously took his hand as they walked on to the transport and sat down in their seats as it lifted off to take them to one of the cities that was suppose to be under Jak's rule. But his desire to run Spargus and Haven was nowhere to be seen. Ashelin was already doing a good job of running Haven and Sig made a great King in Spargus. So no matter his birth right, he still did the jobs both asked him to do. Taking out the remaining Metal Heads and keeping peace between the cities. After all, he _is_ the tie between the cities.

They landed outside the Spargus gate along with other transports for the other drivers and teams. They stepped off the transport only to be bombarded with bustling reporters and flashing cameras from the paparazzi.

"Ashelin! Ashelin! Is it true that you and Jak Mar plan on a wedding?" "Torn! Is Ashelin having an affair with you?" "Jak! I heard your ties with Krew are what lead you to race! Is that true?" The absurd questions kept coming for each of the competitors as they made their way to the nearby Inn which wasn't as shabby as the rest of the buildings. It was quaint and yet still had that underlying feeling. The group stood in the lobby where they saw the small green elf with logs tied to his feet, glasses that magnified his normally small eyes, the bird chirping on an exposed branch of the log tied to his head and a long white beard growing out of his chin.

"Daddy!" Keira exclaimed as she raced over to Samos the Sage and knelt down to give the green elf a hug. He hugged her back like any father would for his daughter.

"Keira, how was Kras? I hope you didn't get into too much trouble," he said in his sagely voice. She pulled away as guilt settled in her stomach.

"Well..." she sighed. "Daddy, we need to talk." They walked off from the group to a private area of the room while Jak watched the two talk and giving a reassuring nod to Keira as she glanced at him. Silently giving her courage.

"Okay, I got us all our own rooms for the time being. So all we need to do now is-"

"WHAT?" they all jumped and turned to see Samos's paled face. Jak with Daxter on his shoulder raced over to him and Keira.

"Is everything okay?" he asked. Samos turned to the man he raised and sent a heated glare at him.

"Jak! You got _my daughter_ poi-" His mouth was quickly covered by Daxter's furry hands who quickly got off Jak's shoulder in time.

"Watch it, toe jam. (Daxter earned a glare from the sage.) We're in a room full of racers that can hear you."

"Daxter's right. We need to discuss this in private," Jak responded as they walked back to the group with Keira supporting her dad. Rayn gave each of them their own key cards for their rooms and it was decided they'll discuss this further in Keira's room. But when they entered, were they in for a yelling fest. Just like old times.

"How on Earth did you let this happen, Jak? I thought I raised you to know better!" the sage yelled at him.

"Hey! We're poisoned too y'know!" Daxter countered for Jak.

"But you didn't think things through like always! Just like when you went to Misty Island against my orders!" Jak and Daxter exchanged sheepish looks at the memory that resulted in Daxter's ottsel-fied transformation before Jak regained his composure as he put on a serious face.

"I suspected it at first but when I saw everybody didn't drop dead..." Jak trailed off, leaving Samos to fill in the blanks.

"And it never occurred to you it could be a slow acting poison?"

"Well, for someone who owns a bar such as myself, I'm telling you that it looked like wine, smelled like wine, and tasted like wine, therefore it was wine. So how the hell were we suppose t'know that it had poison in it? Huh?" Daxter argued with the sage. Samos slumped seeing Daxter's point.

"As much as I hate to admit it, and I really do hate it, you may have a point, Daxter." The orange animal looked at the old man in a mixture of triumph and insult. "But that still doesn't excuse you for what you did to _my daughter!"_

"Stop it, Daddy!" Keira yelled, finally having her word. The men (and animal) in the room turned to face her only to see her angry eyes. "_I_ drank the wine. It was _my_ choice. Jak didn't force me to drink it. And everyone else drank it without any idea it had poison in it. And you should be proud that Jak even considered it poisoned in the first place and took precaution."

Everyone stared at her in stunned silence, never expecting Keira to blow up at her father like this. Poison can do a lot of things but for Keira, always seen as a daddy's girl and one to never disobey him, was now pink cheeked and glaring intensely at Samos. Nobody spoke for a long while until Samos let out a sigh of defeat.

"Yes, I am proud of Jak for taking precaution, but the poison-"

"And this is Jak we're talking about. He saved us all three times already and he can do it again, I know it," she added while sending a smile in his direction. He returned the smile, feeling good for having her confidence in him.

"Yes, he has gotten us out a lot and I have no doubt that he will do it again. So, I apologize for the outburst on the both of you." Jak and Keira looked relieved upon hearing this. Knowing that Samos, who is and considered to be a father to them, didn't blame them for the circumstance at hand. Daxter, however, looked confused at the sage.

"What about me?" he asked.

"Huh?" Samos looked up at the orange animal as if acknowledging him for the first time. "Oh yes. You too, Daxter. Now then, I suspect the garage here in Spargus needs cleaning. Get to it, Daxter." The fuzzy animal stared at him gaped mouth as the sage turned to the door to leave and just before he closed the door behind him, he stared at the two elves. "Oh, and one more thing: Keira, you are _not_ racing!" The two stared at him in shock and (in Keira's case) outrage.

"But Daddy, I-"

"And no buts!" he yelled and slammed the door behind him. The three stood there for a long while staring at the door Samos just left through. Jak slowly turned to her to see angry tears threatening to leak out. He let out a sigh as he turned his head to Daxter.

"Hey Dax, maybe you should do what Samos said and clean up the garage," he suggested calmly and the ottsel looked at him in question.

"Why would I do that? The garage is probably clean already and besides, you know I never listen to Samos." Jak glared at him, the message was slowly getting across the orange fur. "Ooooh, okay. I'll go do that." Daxter got off Jak's shoulder and walked off to the door without even a glance back. When Jak heard the door close, he turned back to Keira whose fists were now clenched.

"Keira?" he asked.

"Can you believe him?" She turned angrily to him as she threw her arms up in the air. "I mean, I know he's overprotective and all that but seriously! Who the hell does he think he is?" she added while she dropped down on her bed.

"C'mon Keira, you know he's only worried about you," he reassured her as he joined her on the bed.

"I know. But still, I'm eighteen years old for crying out loud and I spent two years in Haven City all by myself. Does he think I can't take care of myself?"

"I'm sure he does, he's probably just not ready that his only daughter is growing up." She let out a defeated sigh and scooted closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder. He allowed her to take comfort in him as he automatically wrapped his arm around her shoulder blades. Like he always did when they were kids.

"I guess you're right about that. I just wish he can see that." He nodded in agreement. They sat in silence for a long while. Taking in one of the rare moments they had together without Daxter to mess things up. "Hey Jak?" He looked down at her and noticed how close her face was.

"Yeah?" he asked almost breathlessly.

"You think I'd be a good racer, right?" He blinked and then put on a warm smile.

"Y'know, I don't know who spends more time fixing up cars than you do, so I have no doubt that you'd be great." She returned his smile after hearing him say that. "But..." Her smile started to fade as he averted his eyesight to the ground. "I do have to agree with Samos in some aspect."

"Like?..." she probed.

"Well, this _is_ combat racing and I wouldn't want anything happening to you." He blushed as he realized what he just said. She bit down a giggle as she watched him.

"Well, since you put it that way," she said, her upbeat attitude returning as she lifted her head and stared at him. He faced her again and seemed to can't take his eyes off her. It was true that he found her attractive in the past and he had been an idiot when he dated Ashelin but, in this moment where silence enveloped them and knowing that Daxter was long gone so he won't interrupt. Jak's heart rate increased and Keira, mesmerized by his dark ocean eyes and strong facial features giving her a feeling in her chest that she can't even begin to describe what it was.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Jak! Keira! You done in there? The first race starts in a couple hours!" Torn's voice yelled through the door and they hastily pulled back. Mentally cursing him for ruining the moment. They heard his boots echo away from the door and Jak let out an irritated sigh.

"Looks like I have to get ready," he said, completely avoiding her eyes.

"Yeah, and I have to get to the garage," she said, also avoiding his eyes. He removed his arm from around her shoulders and got up, trying his best not to look back as he went through the door.

* * *

A couple hours have passed and pacing in the Spargus City stadium green room took place. Mostly from Ashelin's angry stride as Torn watched her pace. Daxter looked over the waver that was handed to him with Samos not too far away. Jak was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest while Rayn stood next to him. Most were looking up at the TV which bared the face of the commentator for the entire season, GT Blitz. With a bragging chiseled face with flowing blond hair to add to his egocentric demeanor and a purple suit that would make a pimp jealous.

"Welcome race fans to another turbo charged season of high stakes, high speed racing. As usual, yours truly, GT Blitz, will give you a pit row view of all the action as the best racers in the world swap paint in their quest to claim the Kras City Grand Championship Trophy," Blitz announced through the airwaves in his game show host tone. "In the end, only one wheel jockey will claim the prize as the greatest racer in the land. And we'll be here to cover all the thrills, chills, and spills! The season's first race kicks off in a few minutes. So stay tuned, and keep those engines hummin'!"

"The first race," Jak said, mostly to himself but everyone heard him.

"I fear this affair will end badly," Samos said with dread in his voice. "A wise man once said, 'be watchful of those in front of you, but beware of those behind.'"

"What wise man said that?" Daxter asked as he threw the waver away after reading it over with a depressed face but his usual mug returned.

"I did!"

"Look, none of us is happy about this, but we might as well make the best of it," Torn said, apparently agitated by the situation.

"My father provided everything we need to win. One of us can do it if we all-"

"You father got us into this mess," Ashelin interrupted, her glare hardened at Krew's daughter. "So zip it before I come over there and play daddy!"

Suddenly, they heard the only door to the green room open and they turned to see the egocentric anchorman come in with a toothy smile.

"Well, well... I was told we had some fresh wax rookies this year, but I had to eyeball it for myself," he said as he stepped in further with a confident stride and a hovering camera following him. "GT Blitz is the name. I'm the Kras City Racing Commissioner and star of the highest syndicated sports event on the planet. I just came by to wish you luck and to skid down a few rules." They looked at him as the camera went around the room, getting profiles from each of the racers. "No side bets, no cheating, no rule breaks or we'll break you. You in gear? This is show business boys... and girls." He glanced over at Rayn with sort of a knowing and yet greedy look. She looked away to hide her smile but quickly his as she saw Jak watch the whole thing. "Only the best racers move up to the bigger events, so make me happy and make the crowd scream!"

"Let's race," Jak said with confidence.

* * *

Sig always liked to watch the arena battles and every once in awhile took part in the stadium races run by Kliever. However, since he became King of Spargus, he found very little time to leisure and being a Wastelander. Hunting down Metal Heads nearing the city as well as an occasional Marauder battle, but he took pride in his new position. His experience working along side Damas, the previous King and apparently Jak's father, had Sig pick up his tricks and habits on running a proper city. Being careful not to stir up anything and keeping the citizens happy. So when the opportunity to hold the Red Eco Cup came up, he agreed to let it be held here in honor of Damas.

So here he was, sitting up in his own section completely isolated from the rest and gave a bird's eye view of the track. He looked at each of the racers and seeing their determined and maniacal looks, Sig had to guess they were part of the Mizo team. But he was mostly curious about another team that caught his eye when his advisors told him that they were under Krew. Sig had been invited to the reading of the will but as soon as he heard that drinks would be serve he automatically declined. When he served under Krew, he knew the fat man well enough that he would dispose of him when he didn't need Sig anymore. Which was why he never drank at the Hip Hog Heaven when it was still around. That was proven when Krew sent him out on one last mission which almost turned into a suicide mission if Jak hadn't come in.

He had wondered who else went to the reading and he got his answer as he watched Jak with Daxter holding on to the metal caging, Torn, and Ashelin drove up to their positions behind the starting line. Confirming his suspicion about Krew's reading and the drink that was served.

* * *

Jak looked all around him to see Mizo's team staring daggers at him with one even running a finger across his neck. Another looked at Ashelin with a very greedy look. She merely rolled her eyes in disgust as Torn (who was watching the spectacle) sent a dangerous glare to the man looking at Ashelin.

"Welcome to the first race of season here in the lovely desert scene of Spargus," Blitz's face appeared on a monitor high above the stands as his voice echoed through the stadium. "The King was gracious enough to allow us to hold it here in honor of the previous King, Damas." Jak had a grievous look at the mention of his deceased father.

_If I win this, this'll be for you, Damas_, he thought as he put his racing face on again.

"And the first event is a circuit race. The rules are simple folks, two laps around the track and the first to cross the finish line, wins. Just remember racers, do whatever it takes to win and those that don't make it to the end... there will be a moment of silence in your honor. So lets see who's got the tramp to win it all!"

The light that signals the racers to start came down and hovered before them.

BEEP.

BEEP.

BEEEEEEEEEEP.

And the racers were off. The man with the leather mask, known in the Mizo team as Cutter, was in the lead with Jak following close behind. He saw red and yellow eco on the track and quickly decided on the yellow. His Vulcan Furry instantly loaded. He aimed at Cutter and managed to slow him down a peg.

Ashelin ran over some blue eco and managed to catch up. She saved her yellow eco weapon, her Fragmentation Grenade Launcher, and used it on Cutter as well. She missed the first two shots but managed to hit him on the third. But the bastard ran over green eco at the last second.

"Damn it! This guy won't quit!" Jak heard through his ear piece from Ashelin and he was thinking along the same lines. Then he felt a rumble and he had no time to look.

"Jak! We're hit!" He heard Daxter say through the ear piece.

"With what?" He asked.

"Looked like a missile and you don't wanna see what that did!" Jak mentally cursed as he ran over blue eco. He hit the pedal for the boost and sped pass Cutter. Jak was now in first.

* * *

"C'mon, cherries, you gotta win," Sig said to himself as he watched the race and witnessed Jak getting hit. His excitement grew as Jak went passed a driver and was in first. "Yes, just make it one more lap and-" Just at that second, Jak got hit with another missile and it slowed him down to fourth. This disheartened the King, but the chance for green eco came up and Sig silently prayed for him to run over it. He didn't care that the green eco did minimal repair, he wanted Jak to win.

* * *

Jak saw the green eco and he used up the blue he had left and ran right over it. Fixing up whatever the missiles did. He was in second now and he could see Cutter's car in clear view.

_Red eco coming up_, he noted and swerved on a turn and ran over the stuff and got an attack drone. He pressed the button on the dash and the robot came hovering out and started shooting at the other racer. Slowing him down tremendously until he was fifth in line. The drone went away after it used up its ammo and Jak got a malicious grin on him.

Before they knew it, they were half way through the second lap. Jak got hit a couple of times but managed to recover in time and was now leading the pack.

"We're almost there, Jak!" he heard Daxter say and he was right. "All we have to do is not get hit and collect enough blue eco to cross the finish line with!" Jak didn't hear him say the last part because he was too focused on the track. Which turned out to be a big mistake.

A missile hit Jak and it made him swerve and brought him down to fourth again, but he saw the shooter in time to see it was one of the thugs from the Bloody Hook with the tattoo covering his right eye and burnt ears known as Shiv. He gave Jak a taunting look as he sped and was now in second. Jak's face hardened and thoughts of revenge crossed his mind. He got his wish when he ran over yellow eco and was rewarded with homing missiles. His target landed on Shiv and pressed the button just as quickly as Shiv swerved back to sixth place.

_Serves that asshole right_, Jak thought and sped up to the front while running over blue eco.

The finish line was now in sight and Jak had enough blue eco to pass Ashelin and win.

_Wait for it, wait for it_, he thought and at the right time, he hit the pedal for the blue eco and sped past Ashelin and made it through the finish line.

The crowd cheered for the rookie driver with enthusiasm and joy for the man that saved their city and Sig could've sworn he cheered the loudest.

Jak slowed to a stop at the pit stop and as he got out, he was immediately bombarded by the team's very own mechanic.

"Jak, you did it! I knew you would!" Keira exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Then Ashelin pulled to a stop followed by Torn. They approached the two hugging elves with gracious looks on their tattooed faces.

"Way to go, Jak. I didn't see you coming," Ashelin said and Keira pulled away to meet the other two approaching them.

"You did great, Jak. For a second, I thought you wouldn't make it," Torn said in his usual manner.

"Uh, thanks," he said, not knowing what else to say.

"Yup, that's Jak for ya!" Daxter said as he got up on Jak's shoulder. "He'll out race anyone!"

"You saw it here folks." The group turned to see Blitz approach them with the hovering camera following him towards their group. "At least those of you who didn't die yawning or switch to the Bran Channel." He joined the group and they all gave him skeptical looks. "An unknown driver wins his first big race... in lackluster fashion," he added with a slightly down tone. He turned to face Jak with the microphone held up to him. "So, tell us, what happened out there? Were you frightened?"

"No!" Daxter answered for Jak.

"Well, wait till ya race against the big name drivers," Blitz continued.

"It gets worse?" Torn inquired, giving Blitz a suspicious look and he only laughed.

"Much. Think you can handle it?" Seeing enough is enough, Keira stepped in and place a hand on Jak's chest.

"Give him a break!" she said straight to the game show host wannabe.

"I'll take that as a 'no' or a 'no comment.'" Blitz turned back to the camera with his toothy smile. "And with that, let's take it down to Greaser in pit row. That's a wrap." The camera stopped filming and Blitz turned back to the group putting away the mic. "Listen, I'm not getting much smoke off you guys. I need more spin... more heat! Ratings were down thirteen points on that last race. Not happening! If you want to get into the club, you gotta win a lot more, and you gotta win big! Accumulate serious points and maybe I'll give you another interview." Jak, Keira, Daxter, Ashelin, and Torn turned to face each other as Blitz laughed as he turned away. "_If_ you're still around." He walked away with a little jump in his step.

"That guy seriously creeps me out," Keira said placing her hands on her forearms.

"There's not much we can do about that now," Torn said.

"And there's no doubt he's going to keep an eye on us," Ashelin added.

"So we might as well forget about him," Jak suggested and they all agreed as they started walking out of the stadium and met up with Rayn on the street.

"Great going, Jak. That was an excellent start for our team," she said in her usual manner.

"So when's the next race?" Daxter asked.

"Two days from now and it will be a Death Race. Don't worry, it's not what you think it is, you're just shooting drones for points," she added after she saw the looks on their faces. Relief came over them and the thought of actually killing real people on the track was something that didn't sit well. "Keira? Do you think you can fix up the cars in two days?" she asked the mechanic and the girl merely scoffed.

"Two days? Give me ten hours and I'll fix them up by then," she said with confidence.

"Good. Then rest up well until the next race." With that, Rayn turned to leave but not before leaving Ashelin's suspicion.

"And what are _you_ going to do until then?" she asked and Krew's daughter merely turned her head.

"I'm going to see if I can find anything my father might've left behind. Just to see if there's more information than what he was leading on. Until then." Rayn continued walking on in her normal stride but Ashelin's glare on her hardened even more.


	3. Death Race

**God I had a block at the beginning of this so if it looks forced, I'm sorry. I should also note that the score Jak got in this Death Race is my score on the Loading Docks in the game.**

**_last edit: 3/11/2012_**

* * *

Chapter 3  
Death Race

Mizo was impressed. Disappointed of course, but impressed more or less. It seemed there's more to this Jak character than he originally thought. He had heard rumors about his exploits and royal bloodline but never really believed them. Who could believe someone can hold Dark and Light Eco at once and live to tell the tale? No one he knew that's for sure. And not only that, but the last descendant of Mar himself! If that were true, he should be running Haven City by now. So wasn't he?

Immediately after the first race, Mizo sent one of his thugs to do... research on this boy. Keeping his expectations high in case his flunky brought back something unexpected.

* * *

Jak walked on the desert street like he normally did with Daxter resting on his shoulder plate before this whole mess started. Just enjoying the sounds of the citizens bustling about and minding their own business (not to mention carrying their own guns around, just in case.) Usually leaving him to his own thoughts, but now with Daxter meant that would be impossible.

"Ah, good ol' Spargus. Finally a city that respects us, huh Jak?" he asked his tall friend.

"It is a little refreshing," Jak admitted. "But then again, Haven _has_ become livable again."

"Yeah,_ but_ there's still Baron supporters running around and the old council members still want to see you dead." Jak shrugged.

"Yeah, when you put it that way. But other than that, we still have friends there."

"And by friends, you mean two trigger happy tattooed wonders who pretty much run the city together, the ol' log that I still find it hard to believe that he kicked Metal Head ass once upon a time, and a mechanical genius you secretly pine for?" Daxter added with a sly in his voice as he nudged the side of his friend's head. Jak turned his head to his orange friend with question.

"Are you talking about Keira?" he asked.

"Well, seeing as you and Ashelin are ancient history, who else would I be talking about?" Daxter said as he shook his head and Jak merely looked away, avoiding eye contact.

"It's not like that, Keira and I are just friends."

"Oh really? Then why are you walking towards the garage?" Jak stopped walking and looked to see that Daxter was right. The garage that Keira is sure to be in in eye sight now.

"Huh, might as well see how she's doing since we're in the neighborhood," he suggested and continued walking. Daxter rolled his eyes at his friend's obliviousness.

Jak walked through the door and his eyes searched the garage until he found someone leaning heavily into the engine of one of the cars. Rear end facing him. Jak didn't know why but he couldn't seem to take his eyes off that butt. So round, so enticing, so... he turned away quickly as Keira straightened up and lifted her welding mask.

"Another car done," she said triumphantly.

"And how many have you finished, babe?" Daxter asked flirtatiously, startling Keira. She turned around and saw Jak looking nervous and she looked at him confused. But she pushed it to the back of her mind as the two finally registered to her head.

"Hey guys, I already finished Ashelin's car just a couple hours ago and I just finished Torn's. I saved yours for last, Jak, because you did one helluva number on it." She pointed to his car to see that she was right. He knew he hit a couple missiles and took in a few bullets but didn't expect the damage to be so great. The car itself was in a near heap with jagged metal poking out of dangerous places and most of the paneling was gone. He looked sheepishly at the car and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.

"Sorry about that," he said finally looking at her and she merely shrugged.

"Don't worry about it, it just gives me a challenge." She smiled, thrilled with the thought of fixing it up. She was brought when she felt a pair of eyes on her as she turned to see Jak staring at her which caused her insides to do a backwards flip. "So what brings you guys by?" He was brought out of his trance when she asked and searched his mind for an answer.

"U-uh... I thought-"

"_We_ thought we should see what your up to," Daxter said as Jak clearly failed to say a sentence around her.

"Well... I don't have a lot going on other than fixing up the cars you guys totaled. What about the others? What're they doing?"

"Well, Ashelin had to take care of something, y'know, government crap, Torn is looking into something, he won't tell us what though, Rayn is figuring out something somewhere, and your dad is doing sage stuff. Y'know, the usual," Dax replied.

"How's daddy doing anyway?" she asked, her face now downcast and Jak looked at her with curiosity.

"You haven't talked to him?" he asked as he approached her while Daxter got off his shoulder and stood on the hood.

"Not since the fight."

"But that was yesterday," Daxter noted.

"I know, he's just being unreasonable. I mean Ashelin's driving out there with you guys, so why can't I?" she asked the two of them and Daxter had to open his _big_ mouth.

"Well, seeing as Ashelin can knock out ten Marauders with a single punch, carries a gun everywhere she goes, and not to mention she got Jak in bed with her," Dax listed off and all the while, Jak waved his hand trying to keep his friend quiet and looking nervous. "It's obvious that she can take care of herself on the track," he finished off and earned a _hard _glare from the girl. "What?"

She shook her head and walked towards a nearby counter and started patting the counter for what tool she was fidgeting for. Jak watched her leave and as her back was turned to them, he whacked Dax upside the head and Dax rubbed the back of his head.

"What'd you do that for?" he asked irritatedly. Jak rolled his eyes as he approached the girl again, standing right beside her.

"Dax didn't mean any of that. Believe it or not, he was only trying to make you feel better." She let out a hefty sigh as she continued to to fidget around her tools, not paying any attention to where they rolled.

"I know he was, it was just the way he said it..." She turned back to him to only be lost in his dark concerned eyes.

_Were they always that dark?_ She found herself wondering and couldn't seem to look away.

"Yeah well, we are talking about Daxter," he said which brought her out of her trance.

"Who's still in the room, by the way," Dax said irritatedly but it seemed they didn't hear him.

"I guess you're right," she said in a near whisper, her spirits seemed to have lifted but not entirely and Jak couldn't help but notice.

"Is something else wrong?" he asked, not taking his eyes off her.

"Well..." She took one step closer to him, but that one step proved to be fatal as she managed to step on a strayed screw driver and the lightning fast Jak wrapped his arms around her as she fell down. Resulting her to lean heavily on him. Her hands landing on his biceps and she couldn't help but feel how firm they were. When she looked up at him, she found his eyes locked on to hers. Silent for a long while and even Daxter didn't interrupt them. Only because he was enjoying the show as it is.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," she answered with a fast nod. Then he let out a small laugh.

"You never did put away your tools when you worked on the A-Grav." She let out a small laugh as well.

"Not as much as you and Daxter always going to the Forbidden Jungle and messing with the Lurkers when we were kids." They continued to look at each other as they continued to laugh. Only to be interrupted by someone clearing their throat. They turned quickly to see Ashelin with an indifferent face on her.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," she said as Jak set Keira back on her feet.

"Nah, the show just got more interesting," Daxter said with a sly face as he now rested on the hood with his hands resting behind his head. Ashelin merely rolled her eyes at the animal.

"Did something come up, Ashelin?" Jak asked, stepping away from Keira and approaching her.

"I ran into Rayn and she explained to me how tomorrow's race is going to work. Everyone is assigned a certain time slot to race. What we'll be doing is that drones are popping up on the track and you gotta shoot 'em up and every kill is worth points. Yellow and blue eco will be available on the track."

"What's the catch?" Jak asked.

"The catch is that there's a time limit. You only have three minutes to accumulate the most points. The top score is one hundred ten. So, do you think you can handle it?" she asked with a knowing smile.

"Look who you're talking to. I'll probably throttle that score," he replied, his ego radiating off of him.

"And knowing you, Jak, I know you will." His cocky grin returned as they looked at each other. Keira watched this exchange take place, very much like when the two dated, and, try as she might, she forced her jealousy down and only managed to send the Governess a hard glare.

_Was Daxter right when he said those two..._ she thought and couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence. Fearing of the answer. Instead, she appeared beside Jak with her glare not disappearing.

"Your car is fixed up, _Ashelin_," she said with a bite in her voice and the ever noticeable Jak looked down at her. The busty woman walked over to her candy red car and examined it from top to bottom.

"Not bad, Keira," she simply said and nothing more and the mechanic glared at her even harder.

"That's it? I slaved away on your car and all I get is 'not bad?'" she said, still with a bite. Ashelin looked at her in surprise at first but then glared at her as well.

"You might want to keep that ego down," she replied with a near threatening tone.

"I don't have an ego, it's you that doesn't know how to be appreciative!" Keira started to yell and Ashelin now approached her.

"At least I know a good job when I see it."

"Yeah and you do a _good job_ on destroying things!"

"I haven't destroyed anything!"

"I begged a differ!" They were now face to face, having a glaring contest to see who would falter first, but Jak got in between the two women and managed to separate them.

"Easy, nobody destroyed anything," Jak said, being the voice of reason.

"Easy for you to say, _she_ practically ruined our relationship!" Keira yelled and Jak stood there flabbergasted.

"I ruined _your _relationship? More like you ruined mine!" Keira took it as an insult and not even bothering to look into it when a flash went off. The three turned to see a reporter with a camera in his hands.

"Sorry, I heard yelling and I thought 'story of the century.' Carry on," the reporter said and left again. They all stood in an angry silence and Jak was just an innocent bystander in all this. Then, with a huff, Ashelin turned around to leave without a glance back. But she did stop before the door chancing a glance at Jak.

"You need to be at the stadium at noon," she said quickly and left without another word. Nobody moved after that until Keira stomped over to the counter with all the tools and clenched her fists on the surface. Daxter, who finally got off the hood and perched himself on Jak's shoulder again, looked at her and then back to him with, for once, a worried look.

"Maybe we should go back to the Inn and rest up for tomorrow's race," he suggested and Jak nodded, seeing Keira's need of being alone at the moment. He walked towards the door and sent a concerned look in Keira's direction before departing.

* * *

"And the final score is... Oooh one hundred nine points. That's tough luck for Torn, at the brink of winning the gold for this race and he barely made it by a _single_ point. Now remember folks, that doesn't mean he's bad but just good enough to make it to the next qualifying race. May the best of luck be with you Torn, and be sure to check out more of combat racing with me as we continue here in Spargus City," Blitz announce throughout the stadium as Torn pulled up at the nearest pit stop. Mentally cursing the clock for running out just when he had it in the bag. But it really does go to show that the races here are not taken lightly. He can only hope Jak does a better job. He got out of the car and made his way to the green room where he met up with the others.

"You did good, Torn," he heard Ashelin say from the other side of the room and he turned to see a smile coming from her. He smiled back at her as he made his way to one of the couches that rested in the room as well.

"Y'know, except for a little rash in the nether regions, I feel fine," Daxter said, sitting beside a contemplating Jak on a couch at the far wall. "Maybe Krew was bluffing about the whole poison thing."

"I had the bottle analyzed," Ashelin said almost immediately. "There were traces of Black Shade at the bottom. A rare and deadly plant found in the Wasteland. We were poisoned alright."

"Father never cut corners," Rayn said now appearing next to Ashelin. "Trust me, it's the real deal."

"Never fear!" Daxter exclaimed, now jumping on the couch. "When the going gets tough... Jak'll get us out of it." He pointed to Jak, echoing Keira's words.

"We're just gonna have to win the whole thing," Jak said, finally coming out of his thoughts.

"Against those lunatic racers out there?" Dax continued to exclaim. "What're the odds?"

"You don't wanna know," Torn said with a grave face. Apparently, his business the previous day was to find out more about the other racers and didn't like what he saw.

"No offense guys, but I'm not going to trust my life to anyone but me," Ashelin said with the same tone she had when giving demands. "Just stay out of my way, I'll win."

"Well, _somebody_ here had better win," Daxter spoke up again a little agitated. "Or I'm gonna be very pissed and very dead."

"Jak to the starting line," Blitz' voice rang out through the intercom as the blond hero got up, Jak took a breather to compose himself before Daxter took his place on his shoulder plate.

"You ready, Dax?" he asked the orange animal.

"Do you really need to ask, Jak?"

"Then lets do it." He walked out of the room and into the familiar corridor that lead to the track. His mind wondered off again with every step. Mostly to the fight between Keira and Ashelin the previous day. He knew Daxter enjoyed the show, but Jak was frustrated that at the end he was the center of the argument. He knew it was his fault that he put a strain between him and Keira when the Dark Makers attacked but she never said how it affected her and he guessed on what she said about Ashelin was how she felt about it. Then again, he didn't know exactly but that was a mighty clue if it were one. Not to mention the fact that he's a guy and guys normally don't know how to read women when it comes to certain things. But one thing was for sure, he had to talk to Keira.

When he came out to the track, he was surprised to see the woman he was just thinking about working on his car with a wrench in her hand with a concentrated look on her face. He and Daxter exchanged curious faces as they approached her.

"Keira?" Jak asked and the blue haired woman looked up briefly before looking down.

"Hey Jak. Sorry but you really did a job on this one, took me most of the night to get the turbo engine working among other things. I asked if I could still work on it until you come up and I was hoping for a little long-"

"Can Jak drive it or not?" Daxter asked, cutting into her rambling.

"Yeah he can but the turbo is not going to work right and you'll probably feel it. But before you get on, Jak, I just want to point out a couple things." She pointed up to the guns that rested on top of the caging. "Every car is equipped with a submachine gun. The good news is that you don't need to reload them but the bad news is that they have a low rate of fire and the damage is pretty weak too which is why there's yellow eco on the track. Run over the eco and give the drones hell. The drones on the first lap are worth one point each but they double per lap. Got that, Jak?"

He looked up at the guns and then at Keira again and it seemed she was avoiding his face and he knew he had to bring it up sooner or later.

"Keira, about yesterday-"

"Don't worry about it, I'm already over it," she said quickly, finally facing him. "Just do me a favor and win the gold." She added with a smile. He quirked an eyebrow at her, seeing through her smile, before entering his car and driving up to the starting line. Deciding to put it in the back of his mind until the end of the race.

He stopped before the line with that look of determination that he gets before a race and already he could feel the adrenaline started to pump through his veins. Excitement got the best of him as he watched the hovering light that signaled the start came down.

"All right ladies and gentlemen, here's Jak's run on the Death Race event. Lets see if Jak can beat Torn's score and win the gold. Good luck, Jak! You're gonna need it!" Blitz' voice echoed through the stadium intercoms and Jak ignored him and concentrated on the track.

BEEP.

BEEP.

BEEEEEEEEEEP.

And he was off and immediately ran over yellow eco. Earning him a Coil Gun which does more damage than the Vulcan Furry. As he drove on the track, he saw drones seemingly coming out of nowhere and right away started shooting at them. Points started stacking away and when a target was too far away from him, he put the petal to the metal and hit the boost. Like Keira said, he felt the Turbo Boost didn't give him enough speed which provided him the challenge.

Perfect.

* * *

The clock ticked away to the final seconds and Jak thought he was doing extremely well and he didn't quite understand how the others found this to be difficult. He shot a couple more drones with homing missiles and they exploded on impact.

BEEEEEEEEEEP.

He heard the signal for the end of the race and he skidded to a halt. Looking up at the huge monitor that had Blitz' face on it and waited expectantly for his score.

"And Jak's final score is... one hundred twenty six?" The crowd screamed in excitement and Jak let out a sigh of relief as Daxter shouted with joy. "Well, not only did Jak beat the score but throttled it! And with half a turbo engine! Way to go, Jak! Now back to you, Greaser, at pit row."

"You did it, Jak!" Daxter yelled as Jak now drove to the pit stop. He jumped out and surveyed the damage on the car and saw that the damage wasn't as bad as it was after the first race. Then he got a surprised look when he was tackled from behind from the slender woman that had her arms wrapped around his neck.

"You did it!" she screamed and Daxter stared annoyed at Keira.

"He knows, I just said that!" She finally let go of Jak and he turned to see her broad smile. Keira then averted her eyes to the car.

"Looks like you didn't trash it up this time, should be easier to fix now that..." she trailed off as a yawn escaped from her. Jak stared at her with that all familiar concern a brother has for his sister.

"Did you really stay up all night fixing up the engine?" he asked.

"Yeah, but don't worry about me, just give me a little more time to-"

"Oh no, you are going back to the Inn to get some sleep," Jak interrupted her as he placed his arm across on her shoulders and turning her around to walk her to the exit.

"But Jak, the car-"

"Don't worry, Dax and I have been around you long enough to pick up a few things and besides, it looks like the only work it needs is on the body."

"But the engine-"

"If it'll make you feel better, we'll leave the engine for you until you are well rested."

"But-"

"No buts, you need sleep and I'm not taking 'no' for an answer." Keira would argue some more but another yawn escaped her and immediately knew that arguing is futile.

"Fine but as soon as I wake up I'm going straight to work," she countered and Jak let on a smirk.

"You never cease to amaze me, Keira," Jak said and fought down a blush as she seemed to do so as well.

Soon after Jak walked Keira back to the Inn and made sure she stepped through the door to her room, he ran into Torn in the hallway and stopped him with a look that said that he needed a favor.

"Hey Torn, you mind keeping an eye on Keira for me?" he asked and Torn looked at him like he were insane.

"And why would I do that?" Torn asked with an accusing look.

"Because our best mechanic needs sleep and we can't have her doing a poor job on our cars," Jak countered and Torn nodded, seeing his point but had to ask the obvious.

"Why can't her father do this?"

"Samos and Keira had an argument the other day." Torn's eyes widened upon hearing that.

"All right, I'm going to do this once so don't make this a habit," Torn answered very straight forward and walked to Keira's door and stood guard.

"Thanks, I owe you," Jak said and then walked off towards the stadium.

Torn shook his head at the young man and let out a grunt. He knew Jak's feelings toward the girl were apparent and Keira's were mutually the same. He just hated that he has to be in between them when they were having their "moments" and this certainly was one of them. Torn's the kind of guy that just wants to keep his business to himself and stay out of others. But considering the present situation that he got himself caught in, he'd have no choice but to rely on the others. He let out a frustrated groan at them and couldn't believe that he was doing this.

* * *

Jak walked into the stadium long after everyone was gone and walked towards his car to find Daxter still there waiting for him.

"'bout time you showed up, did you have a nice walk with your _girlfriend_?" Daxter asked, extending 'girlfriend' to a teasing tone.

"She's in her room if that's what you mean," Jak said as he walked over to Keira's abandoned toolbox and took hold of the handle.

"Having a nice long nap while she dreams of her lover whisking her away from the evil of the world," Dax said in a dreamlike voice and added a teasing laugh at the end.

"I told you, Dax, Keira and I are just friends." Jak placed the box next to the car and started surveying the damage. Daxter merely shook his head at his friend.

"I don't know what's worse, facing Kor or your denial," he muttered as he picked up a wrench and when he walked up to Jak, he looked past him and spotted the purple clad game show wannabe approaching. "Oh no. Here comes ol' _tin grin_ himself."

Jak looked up from the car and saw Blitz' toothy smile and his boastful stride. Jak stood up again and watched him approach.

"You newbies are finally gonna see what I've been talking about all along," Blitz said as he came to a complete stop before them. "What makes this the most watched sport in the world... ultimate speed and complete danger." Daxter then looked a little uneasy and then jumped onto Jak's shoulder. "I hope you didn't eat breakfast this morning, or you'll find it all over your suit later," Blitz added with a laugh.

"We're not afraid, right Jak?" Dax said defiantly as Jak narrowed his eyes ass if to say he wasn't threatened in the least. "Right, Jak?" Dax waited again and then whacked Jak upside the head. "HEY! Say some hero stuff!" Jak averted his gaze to the ground for a brief second before looking up again.

"Well then," Blitz continued. "Why don't you prove me wrong when you're in the Dethdrome."

"D-Dethdrome?" Daxter quivered.

"That's right. World's deadliest track. Many people have died on those lanes chasing a sad dream. But that's all the way back in Kras City."

"So then we won't face it until the end of the season," Jak said, more to himself but the others heard him.

"Yeah, but that's _if_ you make it until then," Blitz said and then put on a professional face. "I'm here to tell you the next race is a Freeze Rally. All you have to do is run over the Freezers to stop the clock. Lowest time wins the gold and make sure you cut it around those sharp turns. One small mishap on those turns and it's over." He put on a grievous face and then in a split second lightened. "Make the crowd scream for me! Good luck, you'll need it... more than I need ratings." Blitz then walked away and as his back was turned, Daxter glared at him and Jak just shook his head as if pitying the man.

* * *

_That was a nice nap, _Keira thought a couple hours later as she stretched her arms up and nearly purred. Dropping her arms, she looked over at her electronic clock and read that she had another hour until sun set. She quickly got out of bed and walked towards the door but when she opened it and was just about to step out, she was met with a tattooed arm blocking her way. She followed the arm and saw Torn's smirk.

"And where do you think your going?" he asked and Keira looked surprised at him.

"I was just-"

"Going back in your room and get some sleep," he finished for her and Keira glared at him.

"Jak put you up to this, didn't he?"

"Maybe he did, maybe he didn't," he responded being as vague as possible and her glare just hardened on him. "Now, are you gonna be a good girl and get back inside and rest or do I have to bring you in myself?" Keira looked startled at him but then shook her head as her glare resided.

"I told Jak that as soon as I woke up I'd work on his turbo engine," she brought up and Torn didn't look convinced.

"You just keep telling yourself that," he countered and she looked like she was going to argue back but realized she had nothing and instead looked questionable at him.

"Hey, Torn?" she asked and he now looked confused at her. "Um, you like Ashelin, right?" Now he was the one that looked startled but then his stone hard face returned.

"I don't see how that's any of your business," he responded.

"I've seen the way you look at her and I know that you care about her."

"So why are you asking?"

"I just want to know what you thought about her with Jak," she finally asked and he was taken aback at first and diverted his gaze to the ground.

"I've known Ashelin ever since I was in the Krimson Guard and I was one of the guards inside the Palace. That was before I saw the evil that was the Baron. She's really a remarkable woman once you see past the gun."

"And when she was with Jak?" He turned slowly to her with a look that said everything.

"I wanted to kill the guy even though I knew I would've lost against him."

* * *

**-shoots writer's block- God I struggled with this chapter (and I think it showed...) To be honest, I think Jak sounded a little OOC but, then again, he does seem more optimistic in the game so... -shrugs-**

**Reviews fuel motivation.**


	4. Someone on the Inside

**For once I got something planned out for this chapter (well, the beginning anyway,) I normally wing it as I go along but this one had a tad bit of planning so, writer's block? Maybe we'll just have to see. Once again, Jak's score in this chapter is my score for the Freeze Rally in Spargus City.**

**_last edit: 3/12/2012_  
**

* * *

Chapter 4  
Someone On The Inside

The turns were treacherous and as it turned out, you needed to make the turn early and create power slides to make the cut in time. And it was exactly as Blitz said, one false move and you're history. Jak saw the earlier runs and misfortune played a role as the first death of the season finally came. The driver was being reckless with his car and kept on running against the walls more often than not and the guy's green eco depleted fast. It didn't matter if the guy was collecting the green stuff, the end came when he rammed into a pillar and the car exploded on impact.

As promised, a moment of silence passed in his honor as the stretcher that appeared beside his car and carried what's left of the body out. Jak merely shook his head at the sight. He saw the guy before this race and he seemed to be around Jak's age but claimed to be the son of a great racer and wanted to follow in his father's footsteps. Not even knowing that the event would take his life in a blink of an eye.

When it was Jak's turn to stop the clock, he put on a strong face and the raw determination ran through his veins. When the final buzz went off, he took off in break neck speed and ran over a two second freezer. After that, he had been stacking freezers and blue eco away and power sliding at the right moments. Sure he slid against the wall a couple times but overall, he was no worse for wear. By the end of the race his time was two minute and nine point thirty-four seconds (two minute twenty being the golden time.)

A certain man with a red coat was particularly stunned by this boy. Third race into the Red Cup and already he has gotten gold in all the events with no problem. Normally he wouldn't feel threatened by a boy like him but if he was like the ottsel described then the man should be worried. But seeing as the ottsel did have a big mouth to go along with the tail, he naturally put the description to the back of his mind. None the less, just to make sure his employer got what he needed, after the race he sent out a few of his fellow thugs to make sure this Jak would never race again.

"Oh yeah! Another win for Jak! Pretty soon we'll own this sport, huh Jak?" Daxter asked with a very broad smile and Jak merely shrugged.

"It's still just the beginning, Dax," Jak said as they stepped out of the stadium after their race.

"So what?" Daxter shrugged. "The way you're going, I can see you take down anyone that goes up against ya."

"Is that so?" a new voice said and they turned to see the racer known as Edje walking up to them and Jak sent him a glare. "I do have to admit, you have been giving us some trouble, even for a punk kid like you."

"And what's this 'us' deal?" Jak asked with a straight forward tone.

"Why me and my brothers, of course," Edje responded and as soon as he said it, his fellow thugs came out of their hiding places and circled around them. Jak looked around him, not that he was surprised or anything, he just doesn't like to be caught unexpected. He also counted how many (including Edje) and there are eight surrounding them.

"Uh... Nice family," Daxter noted, his voice slightly shaky.

"Is that the best you got?" Jak taunted, clearly not threatened.

"It's all we need," Edje countered.

"Then this won't take long," Jak said and already he got into his fighting stance.

A couple of the men took out their knives and advanced towards him. Jak grabbed one of the men's wrists and swung him to the other man and they fell down and their weapons stabbed each other either in the wind pipe or punctured a lung. Then another man with brass knuckles advanced as well, ready to give Jak a broken jaw but the thug was caught by surprise when Jak also grabbed his wrist, narrowly avoided his face and punched right in the lower abdomen and picked him up and threw him to another group of thugs, only knocking them down. Then one of the big ones advanced to him from behind but Jak's keen hearing caught his heavy footsteps and did a back kick to the large man's gut and sent him flying towards Edje, but he stepped out of the way in time as the heavy man hit a rather large boulder and broke his neck and Edje looked at Jak in surprise.

Another man with a throwing dagger advanced to Jak and the blond caught his dagger and used it to stab the same man right in the gut. Then the group that Jak knocked down have gotten up and are now advancing to him and Jak withdrew the dagger and used it to slit their throats. Jak now looked around to see the pools of blood along with the dead bodies that surrounded him. He was even impressed that he didn't need his morph gun or even his dark abilities to do this. He looked over to Edje and he saw the look of fear plastering his face.

Edje was ready to run and tell his boss what he just witnessed but Jak was much faster and he caught the brunt man by the collar and brought him down to Jak's level.

"Something tells me you're not smart enough to have set this up. Tell me who did," Jak demanded.

"R-R-Razer! Razer's the one!" Edje quaked under Jak's intense stare and vice grip.

"And who would that be?"

"H-He's the one with the red coat and always has a cigarette!"

"And where would I find him?"

"He's probably at Mizo's garage. Please don't kill me," Edje begged. Jak merely scoffed at him as he let go of his collar.

"If I wanted to kill you, I would do it on the track. See you at the next race," Jak continued to taunt as he walked pass Edje's quivering form with a sort of malicious grin on him. Continuing his stroll like nothing even happened.

"Woah, you took out those guys like it was nothing," Daxter said afterwards. "This Razer guy must have the woosiest men if you were able to take them down that fast."

"Razer's not their boss," Jak simply said and Daxter looked at him with a quirked eyebrow.

"How do you know that?"

"Didn't you hear him? Razer might have sent those thugs but he's not the one running things."

"And who would that be?"

"That guy said that Razer's in Mizo's garage and there's a Mizo team," Jak said putting two and two together for Daxter. Said garage was in sight and Jak marched right to it. His anger starting to rekindle as he stepped through the threshold to see a man with a red coat with his back facing them and Daxter recognized him as the Romanian from the Bloody Hook. Jak marched right up to him and pointed a finger right at him.

"Next time you and your thugs want a fight, maybe you should pick on someone your own size," Jak threatened and the man turned slowly to them with a cigarette in his hand with a sort of smirk on him.

"My, my, I finally get to meet the great racer, Jak," the man said sporting that false interest tone until he looked down at Jak's wrist and noticed the blood. If he was surprised, he didn't show it and just continued to look disinterested.

"And..." Dax intervened.

"And what?" the man looked at him somewhat annoyed.

"What about me?" Dax asked a little outraged.

"Oh yes, you're the loudmouth storyteller from the bar." Daxter glared at the man as he got off Jak's shoulder. "But Jak... Jak, Jak, Jak. Your reputation precedes you." The man circled around Jak, bumping into the blond's shoulder while waving around his cigarette. "Oh, but I'm forgetting my manners. My name is Razer. Maybe you've heard of me? I work for Mizo." Razer inhaled his cigarette and exhaled the smoke. "Eventually everyone does."

"I'm from out of town," Jak countered.

"Yes, you are, aren't you? And you're showing up my boys on the track out there." Razer stifled a giggle and then sent a threatening glare at Jak. "Don't make me put on my goggles and show you how it's done. You wouldn't live long enough to see me cross the finish line."

"I'm ready whenever you are," Jak challenged, not taking the threat in the very least.

"Oh, I'm sure we'll match up soon enough. The race of the century, eh? Mmm." Razer slightly shrugged his shoulder as well as an indifferent tone. "In the meantime, watch your back. I've heard someone arranged a few surprises this time out." Razer continued his stifled giggle fest as he exit the garage.

* * *

"I don't trust her." Torn finally glanced at the woman beside him as he rested his drink on the table. He wasn't surprised at all to hear Ashelin say that about someone but considering the circumstances, he had every reason to question.

"And why's that?" he asked and Ashelin's glaring contest with the table top hardened even more.

"Because, she's hiding something. I don't know what, but I'm gonna figure it out," she said as she drank her beverage. She was with Torn in Spargus's own bar, The Dust Bin, discussing matters further with him as well as the ever allusive Rayn.

"C'mon, Ashelin. She's poisoned too y'know," he added in a whisper and she merely shook her head.

"That doesn't give her an excuse to go off and do whatever she pleases." Torn nodded his head.

"Yeah, Krew must've spoiled her growing up." Then Ashelin's head shot up as she finally stared at him.

"If he gave her the world, than why did he poison her? It doesn't make any sense," she added and then the door burst open and in came Jak and Daxter. Marching in with looks of anger and heavy foot steps.

"Who the heck does that guy think he is! Threatening _us_ like that! I swear, one more minute with him and you would've done the same as you did with those guys!" Daxter ranted as they spotted Torn and Ashelin and marched straight toward them and took their seats.

"Who's the rat talking about?" Torn asked Jak and Jak just shook his head.

"Razer. He sent his thugs after us after the Freeze Rally and I went to pay him a visit," Jak simply answered and Torn nodded his head.

"Oh for God's sake, here," Ashelin said as she took out her rag and tossed it to Jak. "For your hands, if anybody saw them they would link you to the murder scene from earlier and the last thing we need is you back in prison." Jak took it and wiped his hands clean. No blood to be seen on his fingerless leather gloves.

"I heard Razer was the best until he retired," Torn said, getting back into topic. "Killed a lot of people on and off the track. Also spent a little time in jail but someone keeps bailing him out."

"He said he works for Mizo, so that's probably who kept him in for so long," Jak said.

"I've heard of Mizo, suppose to be a major crime boss but nothing compared to Krew," Ashelin added in and just after she said it, the TV that hung above the circular bar counter came on and Blitz' face came on with that same annoying smile.

"Welcome back to the GT Blitz show. Sadly, the network has decided in their infinitesimally small wisdom to add a co-host to my show." The four exchanged looks and put their attention on him as he 'tsh'ed and looked rather annoyed. "I can't imagine anyone outshining yours truly, but alas, please give a lukewarm welcome to my new _color_ commentator as it were... Mr..." he gave a slight uncomfortable cough. "Pecker?"

The camera changed to show the face of a primary colored Monkaw (a cross between a monkey and a cockatoo) as he gave an acknowledging nod to Blitz.

"Thank you GT and hello to all you peoples out there watching," Pecker said in his harsh Hispanic accent as shock spread to the elves and Daxter stared at the screen horrified. "I'd like to thank the network for choosing me to save this anemic little show." Blitz gave winning fake laugh.

"Yes, well, welcome aboard, _Pecker_," he added with disdain in his voice.

"That's it!" Daxter exclaimed and pointed at the TV. "Who's his agent? Pecker always gets the sweet gigs in these adventures." Daxter kicked an imaginary pebble as he slumped down on the table top.

"My first network assignment has been to investigate the rumored 'super bet' on this year's big championship race. Sources say a high level underworld crime connection is involved," Pecker continued to report and intrigue reached their pointed ears as they stared expectantly at the screen. "But sadly my sources won't return calls, and are now missing and are probably dead!" Pecker's face grew more fearful as he added the dramatic effect and then put on his usual mug. "But Pecker is not so easily swayed. I will uncover the truth and report my findings right here on the our show. GT?"

"Of course you will. And let me just say it's gonna be SO great working with you," Blitz said with a hint of sarcasm.

"You too Blitz-man." To show good sport, Pecker slapped Blitz' back but wasn't aware of how hard which now distorted the purple clad man's toupee. Blitz quickly adjusted his hairpiece as he stared angrily at Pecker. "Whoops... Sorry I- uh-"

"Why you little bird shi-" Blitz lunged and strangled Pecker as the screen went blank and the others stared in surprise.

"Looks like you're not the only one who wants to kill Pecker, huh Dax?" Jak noted as he turned back to the ottsel.

"Yeah well, he's lucky that Blitz got to him before I did," Dax said afterwards.

"But this is good though," Torn said and Daxter stared at him in surprise. "We got somebody on the inside now."

"Assuming somebody doesn't kill him," Ashelin said.

"And he better pray that it's not me," Dax said as he shook his head.

* * *

He hated being told what to do. Especially when a flunky comes up to him bearing a message from a mysterious source. He declined of course but when that flunky said that the source had a deal to make was when he thought he would see what that this low life had to offer. So naturally, he grunted on the way and just continued to hate this bloke that wanted to speak with him. This mysterious character wanted to meet with him in the privacy of the stadium owner's office, the brute man naturally thought to be an absurd idea but he managed to suck it up and entered the dark musty room.

"Okay, you yabber, what do you wan'?" he asked very irritatingly.

"I hear that Jak has beaten you in past, isn't that right?" he heard a voice coming out of the shadows ask. He turned to the source to see an outline and from what he can see, the man was bald and was sitting in a rather large chair and the giant man merely crossed his arms.

"Yeah, bu' that doesn' make 'im stronger than me. I'd take 'im down if it weren' for 'is dark powers."

"So it's true then. That Jak has supernatural powers."

"Not jus' supernatural, 'e can channel dark and light eco."

"And yet he's still alive?"

"Yeah, I dunno how 'e does it. Legend tells it that Mar 'imself had mysterious powers and the yabber must've inherited that."

"Even after a few centuries?"

"Yeah, the power must've laid dormant unti' Jak saw reason to use 'em."

"So it's also true that he's the heir of Mar?"

"That's righ'."

"So why isn't he running Haven City?"

"'ow the hell should Ah know? The brat should be running Spargus as well but 'e ain't doin' that either."

"Why Spargus?"

"Haven' you heard? The old King Damas is Jak's ol' man." The mysterious character's eyebrows lifted in intrigue as he contemplated on this new information.

"I see."

"Okay, Ah answered your questions, now you answer mine. What's this abou' a deal?" The man looked at him and admired the brute's cut to the chase.

"I understand that you like to race and you were the best until Jak came around. So whaddya say? Get your revenge on him on the track by racing for me," the man offered and the Australian scoffed at him.

"Ah don't race for anyone. Especially ta someone Ah can' even see." The giant man turned around to leave.

"I'll pay you." He stopped in his tracks and turned back to the man.

"'ow much?"

"Twenty thousand Precursor Orbs per race you beat Jak."

"And if Ah don'?"

"Than you get exactly one sixteenth of that. Just for the effort." The large man stared startled at the man. At first he thought the man was joking but no laughter came so he glared at the shadow.

"Tha's not enough," he shouted.

"Take it or leave it." The large man stood there, not really sure if he should take the offer or just leave. He did hate Jak with a passion and getting revenge on the track did seem tempting and the money made it even more tempting. But if he were to beat Jak in a race, not only will he get his pride back but a whole lot of Orbs as well.

"Ah'll think abou' it," he replied and turned to leave.

"Just look for Razer and tell him you'll race for Mizo, if you change your mind," the man answered and the large man nodded as he left.

* * *

"The next race is an Artifact Race," Rayn explained as the group rejoiced in the Spargus garage. Staring at her expectantly as she explained the rules. "Quite simple really, first to collect ten Precursor artifacts wins."

"Wait a minute," Daxter piped in from the counter beside Jak. "Precursor artifacts? Artifacts that Jak and I collected in the Wasteland? You mean to tell us that the Precursor crap that _we_ got from our last adventure is being used to get a _trophy_?" his voice rose as he now glared at Rayn while she looked at him a little startled. "So if it weren't for us, you wouldn't have this particular race?"

"Well these artifacts were dug up twenty years ago," she responded, giving him a stern look.

"Oh," Dax said now looking and feeling stupid. "Uh, carry on."

"Anyways," Rayn continued. "Eco is provided on the track and... I'm sorry to say but you may need to go against each other to obtain the artifacts." Everybody exchanged looks and seemed to agree.

"That's fine. As long as we don't get into each other's ways," Ashelin spoke for them and the others nodded. All thinking the same.

"And Keira?" She turned to the mechanic as she stood next to Jak. "Do you think you can make the vehicles more rugged?" Keira looked thoughtful at her while considering.

"I'm gonna need tougher material," she responded.

"Father left enough Precursor Orbs to provide everything you may need."

"Than it's no problem," Keira said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Excellent, and another thing is that the stadium needs time to prepare for the event. So you will be getting time off for the next week," Rayn explained and Daxter literally jumped for joy.

"Sweet! Vacation time! I've been dying to go to the beach and watch all the groupie girls in their skimpy little bikinis..." Daxter trailed off, fantasies roaming in his little mind.

"I thought you have a girlfriend, Daxter," Keira said, in defense for her friend.

"Eh, what Tess doesn't know won't hurt her," he simply replied and the women in the room looked at him in disgust.

"But with this much time off, that gives some pretty good opportunities for somebody to off one of us so I suggest you watch your backs from now on," Torn added in thought and Daxter merely rolled his eyes.

"You know what Torn? I think you need this vacation more than any of us. Am I right?" He nudged Jak and the blond just shook his head. Thinking along the same lines as Torn that if the ambush they encountered earlier was just a preview than who's to say another opportunity might strike.

* * *

**I think chapter was a little short but I think the 'Jak on a murder rampage' action made up for that.**

**Read and review.**


	5. Deadly Substance

_**last edited: 3/12/2012**_

* * *

Chapter 5  
Deadly Substance

"C'mon... Work with me, baby... I know you want to..." Keira mumbled to herself as she continued her work on Jak's turbo engine. Even though it had been a few days since the race that pretty much destroyed it, she still couldn't get it to work properly and the perfectionist in her wouldn't give up. She found it remarkable that Jak still earned gold with a half fixed engine but she could tell by the way she watched him race that he wasn't fully satisfied. And for a girl that's trying to get his attention, she wanted to give him all she could. But with the way the engine was turning out, it doesn't look it wants to be fixed.

Her musings were soon interrupted by a very foul stench.

"What's a delicate flower such as yourself doing something so primitive as fixing a car?" Her attention was brought out of the oder at the sound of rolling 'r's and looked in the direction of a man in a red racing coat with a cigarette in his hand. She gave the man a questioning look as she stared suspiciously at him.

"Exactly what my job is," she explained and he gave her a smile that sent a bad chill down her spine.

"Yes, but a beautiful woman such as yourself shouldn't dirty her hands. You should let someone else do the work for you." The man inhaled his cigarette and let out a puff of smoke while Keira quirked an eyebrow as this man fit the description Jak gave her. As well as a little disgust from not just the cancer stick but by this guy's "charm."

"Razer, right? Jak told me what you did," she replied with venom in her voice.

"Did he now, hmm?" Razer continued as he started approaching her. Keira wrinkled her nose from the smell of tobacco that slowly dominated the air.

"Yes and if you know what's good for you, you'd stay clear of him," she said defensively and Razer still continued his stroll to her.

"Mmm, yes, I have heard about the Earth bound demon," he drawled as he tapped his cigarette. "But what I don't understand is how it is even possible."

_Is he serious?_ Keira thought as she caught on to his plan and just continued to look at him in disgust.

"If you think I'm gonna tell you, think again." He took another step closer to her but she took a step back, just to get away from the stench.

"Well, I don't need to worry about that." He startled her as he continued his advance with a greedy look and panic soon rose in her chest and backed further away from him.

"And why is that?" her voice wavered but still held a brave tone as she backed into the counter while he was now only a few inches away. She was trapped.

"Because, I have ways of getting... information," he said in a near hush voice as his rancid breath splashed onto her. Flicking away his cigarette while tracing a finger down her jawline as she groped the counter until she felt a drawer handle and started pulling. Praying to the Precursors it was the drawer that held her knife.

"I'd step away from her if I were you." A deep velvety voice spoke out in a threatening tone and Razer stopped his advances and turned around to meet the barrel of a Peace Maker.

"And may I ask who is stopping me?" Razer asked and the elf holding the powerful gun moved it aside but staying on Razer's face to show the man who ruled Spargus, Sig, and Razer immediately stepped away from Keira and gave the King a bow. "I apologize, your highness. She merely fell over and I was only helping her."

"You better believe that story or your head is gonna be mounted on my wall," Sig threatened and Razer just glared at him as he stalked off to the exit. But not before he shot one last glance to the girl that told her that he wasn't finished with her and left the garage. As soon as he left, Sig lowered his weapon and turned to Keira.

"You all right?" he asked as he approached her and she nodded.

"Yeah, thank you so much, Sig," she answered as she gave him a friendly hug and he returned it.

"Don't worry about it." He let go of her and stared at her with his good eye. "I always come through for my friends. Just let me know if that jackass ever comes near you."

"I will, as long as you don't tell Jak what happened." At that, Sig let out a low laugh.

"Yeah, if he found out he would tear this city to shreds. And speaking as a King, I can't let that happen." She let out a laugh, Sig always knew how to make her feel better. "Speaking of the cherries, where are Jak and Daxter?" She shrugged her shoulders.

"Probably at the bar or something. Why do you ask?" He only shrugged.

"I was planning on surprising everybody, but..." he trailed as he rubbed the back of his neck. "As long as you don't tell anyone, I was thinking of coming out of retirement and race for the Krew team," he added with a smile and a look of excitement reached her face as she jumped and gave him another hug.

"That's fantastic, Sig! It's gonna be so great to see you race with everyone. But..." She pulled away as a thought dawned on her. She diverted her gaze to the ground and Sig looked puzzled at her.

"What is it?" he pressed as she crossed her arms. She considered telling him and she wasn't sure how he might react so she decided to give him small details.

"Thing is that we don't have a choice, but you do." Sig looked at her as his face became stern as she trailed.

"Keira, drinks were served at the reading, weren't there?" he asked, straightforward and she looked at him not really understanding what he meant. It sounded too generic to her so she only nodded. "And the drinks weren't exactly drinks, were they?" Her eyes widened as shock spread her system.

"How did you-"

"I worked for Krew, remember? I probably knew him better than anybody else. Which is _exactly_ why I never trusted him." She let on a weak smile as he explained and should've known with Sig.

"That's why you didn't come to the reading," she mumbled and he looked at her with stern concern as he place his metal clad hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, Keira. I'll help as much as I can, but you have to tell me exactly what happened in Kras City." She took comfort in his gesture and calming voice and smiled at his effort.

She told him everything that happened. The moment Jak stepped into the conference room right up to the point they arrived in Spargus. Sig listened and not once interrupting her and after she said Krew poisoned them, his blood began to boil. He was right about Krew's treachery but it was something he did not want to be right about. He had to clench his fist to keep his anger under control. When she finished, he looked disbelieving down at the ground.

"I should've been there. At least warned you of the possibility," he said and Keira shook her head.

"No, it's good you didn't come. You would've been poisoned like the rest of us," she tried to reassure him but his intense glare at the ground didn't shift.

"But that doesn't change the fact that you guys have to race to the death," Sig forced out. She had to agree. It wasn't the most ideal situation to be caught in, but they were in it none the less.

"Krew got a car ready for you," she said, desperate to change the subject. He finally looked at her as if she had gone crazy but seeing her reassuring smile gave him a lift. And for that, he was grateful.

"Krew never missed a step," he said in his laughing voice and nodded at her. "So, where is my toy?" Keira pointed down at the very end of the garage pass Ashelin and Torn's cars to see a fully rugged vehicle with spiked fenders and Sig couldn't help but look at it like a kid in a candy store. He went over to it and ran his hand across the hood as he admired the paint job and the metal caging. It fit Sig to the very tee.

"It's even ready for the Artifact Race next week," Keira added in while Sig nodded approvingly.

"Great, 'bout time I showed those cherries what being a Wastelander is all about," he said as he started walking towards the exit. "Don't tell everyone what I told you about coming back."

She nodded as he the door slid open to the streets but before he left, he turned back to Keira one more time.

"By the way, you might want to carry that around from now on," he said as he pointed behind her. She turned around to see the drawer that had her knife in still opened. She turned back to him as he waved her goodbye and she waved back. For the first time in her life, she was actually considering his suggestion.

* * *

"Geez, who doesn't have a job for us anymore," Daxter noted as Jak stepped out of The Dust Bin with Dax on his shoulder and already on their way to the Spargus stadium. Not too long ago, Blitz came up to them in the bar with job offers that gets them prizes among other things. Jak was only interested in doing the job where as Daxter was only concerned with the danger. Apparently, the drones used for the Death Races have gone rogue and were attacking innocent people in the stadium. Why? Who knows. Point being they have to be destroyed.

"As long as Blitz gets us those agreed on parts, that's all I really care about," Jak responded and Daxter had to shake his head.

"Yeah but those things won't care who we are and we don't know how dangerous they really are," the ottsel pointed out and Jak's look said that he was clearly not threatened.

"These are the same drones that we kill in the Death Races. They shouldn't be a problem." Daxter sighed in defeat as he saw Jak's point.

They reached the stadium entrance and ran down the corridor as soon as they heard yells and screams and people running in the opposite direction. Shoving and pushing his way into the arena until he came onto the dirt ground and saw what Blitz had described. The drones were racing around and shooting everything that moved with their very own Vulcan Furries but there was something different about them. It seemed like the shots were powerful. Like a boost. And they were also very accurate with their targets. Jak looked around and saw the Sand Shark parked and ready and he quickly dashed to it and started up the engine. He saw yellow eco already placed on the track and immediately ran over it. Not long after a couple shots hit him and the green eco meter depleted to half.

"Dax! What's happening?" Jak asked through the ear piece.

"It's the drones! They're shooting right at us!" Daxter responded after looking around the back and ducked in time when more bullets shot out.

Jak drove around and launched his homing missiles on the ones that were in his view. He ran over red eco and got a damage shield. A shield that will protect him but will damage to those crashing into him, which came in handy as more bullets came at him. He pressed the button on the dash and a red shield surrounded him. He ran into a few drones and managed to destroy them with the shield as well killing more with the homing missiles. But as soon as the shield disappeared, the bullets came flying in depleted more of Jak's green eco. He frantically searched around for the green stuff but found none and there were still more drones that needed to be killed.

_Damn it, _he thought upon the realization but he had no time to think as the drones kept on shooting at him. He ran over more yellow and red eco and just continued with the killing.

A few minutes later, his engine was smoking up pretty badly and there were only three drones left. He only had his Coil Gun and a Land Mine in his inventory. He knew he had to be careful and it was a difficult task in his situation.

"Jak! There's one behind us!" Dax yelled through the ear piece and Jak had launched the Land Mine. He heard an explosion and didn't need to guess that the drone ran over it.

_Two drones left,_ he thought to himself and said drones appeared in front of him and Jak used up what's left of his Coil Gun and managed to kill one of the drones. That just left the one drone left. Jak drove around quickly and avoided the shots as best as he could until he found only red eco. He hit the gas with all the blue eco that was left and earned himself some Magno Mines and magnetic mines were the very things he needed. The last drone shot more of its bullets to Jak until only an eighth of green eco was left and he launched the mines and immediately, the drone's metal parts attracted the mines as it zoomed over them and three seconds later: BOOM! The last drone was gone and Jak drifted until he stopped in the middle of the arena. Relieved that it was finally over as he closed his eyes and took in a few breaths from exhaustion.

"Uh, Jak?" Daxter's voice disrupted his peace and it can only mean one thing.

"What now, Dax?" he answered almost irritatingly.

"I hate to interrupt your little peace time-" Jak thought that was the understatement of the century. "-But you have ta see this." He opened his eyes again to see Daxter already out of the car and surveying one of the dead drones. He begrudgingly leapt out of the Sand Shark and walked towards Daxter with heavy steps. Then he saw what Daxter called him over for and couldn't believe his eyes. He knelt down to get a closer look at the dark substance that bleed out of the drone and dipped his finger in it and rubbed the stuff in between his fingers.

"Dark eco," he confirmed and Daxter shook his head.

"Why would _anyone_ want to put that dark stuff into these drones?" Daxter asked while Jak was thinking about it and didn't like the answer.

"It's not just to kill those people, those drones were meant for us."

"WHAT?" Dax yelled. "Who the hell would go this far just to kill us?"

"I don't know, but I do have an idea that might know."

* * *

"Really. That sounds interesting. What more can you tell me?" Pecker asked into his communicator. Talking to one of his source that was into the gang scene. Apparently his source just told him something juicy involving the 'super bet' but seemed to be lacking more info. "What? How could you tell me this without any background?"

"Pecker!" Pecker turned to see the dynamic duo approaching him in a dead end alley where he could have privacy but apparently not private enough.

"I gotta go, a certain pain in the ass is coming up to me." He hung up his communicator and put it away. "Jak! Daxter! How nice it is to see you again!" he exclaimed with a wide smile and open wings.

"Don't think I didn't hear that 'pain in the ass' comment, _Pecker_," Daxter snapped at him and Pecker merely glared at the ottsel.

"Watch it, I'm in the media now and I can ruin your reputation faster than you can blink," Pecker threatened as he flew down to Daxter's level.

"I'd like to see you try, bird brain!"

"Bring it on, furball!" Dax and Pecker were about to wring each other's necks before Jak put his foot between them.

"Settle this later," Jak said sternly as he turned to Pecker. "We just came from the stadium where we were attacked by dark eco filled drones." Pecker's eyes widened at the mention of dark eco. "Know anything about this?"

"Absolutely not! Dark eco is illegal to use in the racing circuit because of the danger. If someone has that dark stuff in their car, they are immediately disqualified."

"So why were the drones fill with that dark goo?" Daxter asked.

"How the hell should I know?" Pecker snapped at him and Dax glared right back. "But I can look into it, if you wish."

"See to it that you do, Pecker. Call us if you found out anything," Jak said as he started walking away. "Lets go, Dax, we gotta go see Blitz anyway." Daxter got into a martial arts stance staring mockingly in Pecker's direction.

"That's right, don't mess with the Daxtinator!" he exclaimed and then followed Jak and Pecker continue to glare at him.

"I hope you enjoyed the chafing, rodent!" Pecker yelled while shaking his fist.

* * *

"Jak, Daxter, what brings you by this lowly spot?" Blitz asked as Jak and Daxter entered the Dust Bin to find Blitz talking it up with the bar maid and having that same enthusiasm that he always carried.

"We killed the drones in the stadium," Jak said straightforwardly.

"That's great!"

"It would be if the drones weren't filled with dark eco, which they were," Daxter interjected and Blitz put on a face of shock.

"Dark eco? Are you sure?" The two only nodded. "Well, who would do such a thing?"

"That's what we wanna know," Jak responded. "And you were the one that sent us to the stadium."

"Woah," Blitz put up his hands and put on the face of the accused. "You don't think it was me, do you?" Jak and Daxter exchanged looks before looking back at him.

"The thought hadn't really occurred to us," Dax replied suspiciously.

"Well, rest assure you two. I had no idea those drones were using dark eco. In fact, I didn't even know people were still using that stuff." Jak put on a dark look as Blitz stood up and looked rather calm with himself. "The agreed on parts will be sent to Krew's garage. I'm sure that girlfriend of yours will appreciate them," he said as he strode past Jak and Daxter. Eyes never leaving him.

"She's not my girlfriend," Jak said truthfully.

"Really?" Blitz turned back with a surprised face. "That's not what the press has been saying."

"The press?" Daxter asked, a little intrigued.

"Yes. Haven't you two been reading the paper lately?"

* * *

Gah! I hated the beginning so bad when I wrote it but I wanted Sig to come in in a kick ass way as well as develop Keira's character even more. But will Jak find out? We'll just have to see. Lol.

**Hope you enjoyed it. :D**


	6. More Competition

**I hate insomnia! Hate it hate it hate it! I wish I could shoot it and have more things done... Anyways, I guess I should say that the beginning of this chapter starts off the following day after the last chapter. Just so nobody is confused.**

**_last edit: 3/18/2012_  
**

* * *

Chapter 6  
More Competition

**Son of Mar Having An Affair?**

**It is well known that Jak Mar, Savior of the World, is one with a hard heart but the only one that seemed to penetrate it was Ashelin Praxis, Governess of Haven City. Their romance was hot and heavy from the start but it seems Mar's heart belongs to more than just one woman. Although the relationship has been dormant the last several months, turns out the reason why is that Mar has been seeing someone else. Seen above is a photo taken in Krew's garage in Spargus City before the Death Race events the next day. Pictured is the infamous couple as well as a mysterious aqua haired woman. Perhaps Praxis caught them in the act while looking for her other. Who is this mysterious woman? It turns out that it was Keira Hagai, the mechanic for the Krew team. Information about her is currently unknown...**

She trailed in the reading, not wanting to read what the rest had to say. Irritated on the fact that everything in the article was not only blasphemous, but it was directed towards someone that doesn't even deserved this. She looked at the photo in the newspaper and didn't like the image the photographer portrayed her as. Staring angrily down at the younger woman while Jak stood in between them with his arms splayed in between them. She noticed that Keira was holding a wrench in her hands while glaring daggers at her and can't seem to recall her doing so. She let out an irritated sigh as she rubbed her temples.

She had just come out of her shower wearing nothing but her silk robe when Torn came bursting in with the accursed paper and waving it in her face. She ripped it from his hands and placed it on the desk in her suite. She had sunk down in the seat to read that first paragraph and just stared irritatingly at the article.

"This is not good," she muttered.

"You're telling me. Why were you even there to begin with?" Torn asked, a little angered by the photo.

"I was only there to tell him about the race," she simply replied and Torn didn't look convinced.

"Is that all?" he pressed for more information and her glance didn't shift.

"Then I inspected my car and I told Keira she did a great job. She took offense and then started to be arrogant." Ashelin shook her head. "And then she accused me of ruining her and Jak's relationship." She scoffed as she slammed her palm on the desk surface. Torn's brow lifted at her back and was taken aback when she finally stood up and let out a sigh. "I didn't mean to. You know that, right?" He just stared at her and honestly didn't know what to say.

"Well..." he stalled. "It's not like you still have feelings for him, right?" She turned back to him where he got full view of her front side. Her robe giving teasing peaks of her legs and her voluptuous chest and he tried his best not to look down below her neck line.

"Of course not. Jak and I have been over for months. But I still care about him though."

That last sentence caught Torn by surprise. Only because she said it with not only force, but with a hidden softness that she meant what she had said. He looked a little downcast at first, but he knew that deep concern for the eco wielder was only skin deep. Jak could always take care of himself and he certainly didn't need anybodies help, but he always needed someone to keep him out of the deep end. Torn also knew that Keira and Daxter have always been that and more and Ashelin was one for a short time. That was where her concern came from.

"There's only one thing to do," she sighed. "Ignore the press. Provoking them would only make matters worse. I'll stop by the garage and tell Jak." She walked back into the bathroom and left Torn to shake his head.

* * *

She opened the box with anxious hands. Even though she wasn't one for shopping, she just couldn't contain her glee after this particular trip. She removed the lid and placed it aside and gazed down at her new pair of yakkow skinned boots. They may not appear much on the outside, but they have hidden knife holsters on the inside. Good for when caught unprepared. What surprised her was how open the market in Spargus was to sell these sort of things where as in Haven you had to find the black market to buy them.

She traced the seams with a finger as her anticipation rose in her chest to wear these boots. She didn't know where these feelings were coming from, but perhaps the fact that she won't be traveling alone is what's getting her so worked up.

Then she heard the door slide open and she quickly put the lid back on the box as she turned around, blocking the box from view. She saw the newcomers were none other than her two childhood friends as they strolled right in.

"Hey, baby. Watcha hiding?" Daxter asked as he got off Jak's shoulder and onto the ground.

"It's nothing," she replied as she turned back to the box and picked it up to store it away.

"Ooo... is it a present?" Daxter persisted and Keira merely shook her head as she got on a step ladder and stowed the box in an unreachable place for the ottsel.

"No, Daxter. Just a little something I got from the market." She got down from the ladder after putting it away as Daxter pouted. "So, what brings you guys by?"

"We just wanted to know if you got the parts," Jak answered in a distracted air.

"Yeah, they came in not too long ago. Strange really," she said with a query as she pointed out to another box that had the parts in. "They looked pretty high end and they were just delivered with no explanation." Then she looked at Jak and wondered how he knew about the parts. "Do you know anything?"

"We battled dark eco filled robots in the stadium and got parts and Precursor Orbs for it," Dax responded very casually and Keira couldn't help her eyebrows from lifting in surprise.

"Oh my God. Jak, are you okay?" she asked as she got closer to him with a worried look and he merely brushed it aside.

"It's nothing, they were only the drones used in the Death Races," Jak said and Keira didn't look convinced.

"And they were filled with dark eco? They're guns and speed must've been powerful."

"They were something... but nothing I can't handle."

"Yes, but the car must've been in a very bad shape by the time you finished."

"Right and _I_ managed to survive."

"But you could've gotten seriously injured while your-"

CRASH!

They turned to see Daxter and large piles of boxes, books, and parts scattered on the floor around him. He had a goofy smile as they looked at him in question.

"Daxter, what were you doing?" Keira asked as she looked suspiciously at him.

"Just... exercising?" Daxter lamely responded and Jak and Keira merely shook their heads.

"Dax..." Jak trailed and Daxter sprang up from his spot.

"What? Can you honestly say that when someone is hiding something and you don't expect me to snoop around? Pfft. Shows how much _you_ know," Daxter retorted while crossing his arms and the two elves exchanged looks.

"Well, I can assure you, Daxter. I've got nothing to hide," she said as she walked over the orange furball and started picking up the mess he created.

"Heh, sure. That's what they all say and then they pull a gun or a knife out on ya," Daxter said jokingly and Keira dropped a wrench with a clang. Jak stared at her fumbling and thought to be interesting and yet didn't think too much on it. Assuming it was only Keira's clumsiness.

"Need any help?" he offered and she shook her head while placing the items in a box.

"I've got it handled," she responded and then an idea popped in her head as she turned back to him with narrow eyes and flirtatious smile. "But you _can_ bring the car you totaled here and I can fix it for you."

"Done," he simply said and started walking towards the exit. "Lets go, Dax."

"Aww... But I wanted to know if she saw the paper lately," he pouted and Keira had to wrinkle her nose in disgust.

"You mean what those press hounds have been saying about me?"

"That's right," Daxter responded and Jak had to stop and turn to her.

"Oh sure, I've heard about it. I've actually read the damn thing. My favorite part was that they actually called me 'some random fling,'" she said with disdain that grew with each word and then muttered: "Might as well call me a whore while they're at it..." Jak looked at her as if he felt sorry for her as she balled up her fists and glaring directly at an oil spot on the ground. Deciding to add to the list of looks he hated seeing Keira in, he walked back over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She jumped from the contact as she stared startled up at Jak.

"Look, this just shows how little the media really knows. So don't let this get to you," he said and smiled encouragingly and she found herself lost in it.

"Yeah. Dumb asses haven't even mentioned me and everybody knows that _I'm_ the one running the show," Daxter gloated and the two elves just rolled their eyes.

"Well," Keira continued. "You don't have to worry. Those lame excuses for human beings are in the back of my mind."

"Glad to hear," Jak responded while squeezing her shoulder and a blush highlighted her face. He let his hand slip off her shoulder as he strolled to the exit while Daxter hopped on Jak's shoulder. She let out a breath of air she didn't even know she was holding as the door slid to a close.

"Damn it."

* * *

"You did that on purpose didn't you?" Jak asked as they left the garage to head back to the stadium to get the Sand Shark.

"Did what?" Daxter asked back while a falsely innocent face.

"Bringing up the article in front of Keira. What'd you do that for?"

"I was just helpin' ya out, buddy," the ottsel answered while nudging the side of Jak's head.

"Helping me out in what?" he asked but sounded more like a statement.

"Oh y'know, comforting Keira in her time of need..." he teased and made kissy faces while Jak merely quirked an eyebrow at him.

"What are you-"

"There you are Jak." They turned to the source who interrupted and was thankful to see that it was Ashelin. She stopped before them and the look in her face told him that she had something to say.

"Did something come up?" he asked in his normal tone like when he receives a mission from either her or Torn.

"I just wanted to know if you saw the paper lately," she responded.

"More like who hasn't," Daxter retorted.

"I'm just here to tell you to ignore the paparazzi. They can only makes things worse," she commanded and the ottsel merely scoffed.

"Please, so what if they made a nonexistent love triangle. Big deal. They'll find out soon enough that things are ancient between you two," Dax continued and the two glared at him. "What?"

"Look," Jak groaned. "I got other things on my mind other than what a tabloid has to say about us."

Just then, Jak's sensitive hearing picked up light foot steps that were coming their way. He looked behind Ashelin to see the woman with the bouncy blue hair bun strolling up to them. The other must've noticed Jak's staring and looked in the direction the boss's daughter was coming from.

"Rayn, baby. Long time no see. Whacha been up to?" Daxter asked, in Ashelin's opinion, a very good question.

"My father had connections here in Spargus and I was seeing what I could dig up. Perhaps a clue on who managed to get the poison for him. But that's not important now," she dismissed as she faced the Eco wielder. "Jak, you're getting great points for the season. But, I just heard a nasty rumor that someone's throwing big money around hiring top mercenary drivers to race. Whoever it is, they want to beat us badly," she added with a sigh as she shifted her eyes.

"I hear these new drivers are getting bonuses for kills," Ashelin added in. "And I'm sure they wouldn't think twice about cheating to win."

"Oh great! That's _all_ we need," Daxter whined and Jak's sensitive hearing once again picked another pair of footsteps. One of them sounded like heavy racing boots and the other... made clunking sounds and hit the dirt with, no doubt, a deep imprint.

"Uh oh," Ashelin perked up. "Here comes a rather _large_ specimen now." They turned in time to see Razer walking up to them with a smug look on his arrogant face and following not too far behind was none other than a Krimzon Guard Deathbot.

"Well, well... if it isn't the rat and his mangy animal," Razer said mockingly.

"Oh, you're a riot," said rat retorted.

"Have you met Mizo's newest racer?" Razer pointed behind to the KG bot that stood a staggering ten feet while waving around his cigarette. "This is UR-86, the deadliest driver on the planet... behind me of course." Razer stifled his laugh and Jak looked up at it with wide eyes and a gaped mouth.

"Uh... nice name," Dax noted with a nervous tone.

"'86 holds some of the top records for kills in a single event. Even _I_ have to watch out for this one," Razer continued as UR-86 turned to the orange animal. Flexing out its arm and grabbed Daxter by the head while making clanking noises and panic in Daxter's little body increased with each heart beat.

"Oh, don't be shy. This bucket of bolts loves living things... so he can make them dead." Razer still continued while the robot started spinning Daxter around. Razer laughed as he turned around and gave one last glance to Jak. "Good luck out there."

UR-86 dropped Daxter and he hit the dirt with a thud and the KG bot followed Razer once again. While Daxter lifted himself up with his elbows and sent a surprised look in their direction.

"Isn't it illegal to use robots during competition?" he asked and Rayn shook her head with dread.

"Apparently not," she responded. "This is terrible, the Mizo team now has more competitors than we do now."

"Yeah, if the _ol' stump_ would let Keira race, we'd be set by now," Daxter complained while straightening out his feet. Jak crossed his arms in a thoughtful manner.

"Where is Samos anyway?" he asked sort of out of the blue.

"I believe he's still at the Inn. Says there's not enough flora here to keep him satisfied," Rayn responded.

"As expected by ol' greenie," Daxter noted with a bored tone as he got back up on his perch on Jak's shoulder.

"Com'on, Dax. It's about time we pay Samos a little visit," Jak responded and started walking in the direction towards the Inn.

"What about the Sand Shark you promised Keira you'd bring back?"

"She can wait a little longer and besides, seems like she's a little busy right now anyway." Jak shrugged.

"Don't forget what I told you, Jak!" Ashelin yelled to him and he lifted his hand lazily. Indicating that he heard her.

* * *

"IF I TOLD KEIRA SHE'S NOT ALLOWED TO RACE, THEN WHAT MAKES _YOU_ THINK I WOULD RECONSIDER!" His face turned a slight brown shade as he took in a few breaths from all the yelling. Daxter had to plaster his ears to his cranium as he cowered behind Jak's legs. When he heard the yelling ceased, he peaked his head out.

"But we need her! The Mizo team has us outnumbered _and_ out gunned!" Daxter yelled back.

"IT DOESN'T MATTER! I WON'T HAVE IT!" Jak merely shook his head.

"Samos, be reasonable. She has worked on every vehicle I ever rode on and I'm still walking around, who would know better when it comes to cars," Jak reasoned with a hard tone.

"I DON'T CARE IF SHE KNOWS HER WAY AROUND A SHIP! SHE IS _STILL_ NOT RACING!" Samos's green color slowly returned as he looked at Jak. "And besides, you've been _outnumbered_ many times, Jak. What makes this any different?"

"This is a competition, green stuff. _Every_ person counts!" Daxter piped in while glaring angrily at the Sage. Finally coming out of his hiding spot and stomping his way to Samos.

"Yes, and right now that's fixing up your messes, not causing them!" Samos' voice rose again as he slowly rose to the air and went into his meditative position. The two knew very well that meant that Samos was finished discussing the matter and doesn't want to argue anymore. With dejected faces, they turned around and left him to his trance. Jak closed the door behind them as Daxter let out an irritated groan.

"That's _just_ great! What're we suppose to do now?" he asked as he crossed his arms and truly, Jak had no idea.

* * *

Several days have passed and no activity came up when it came to competition. Everybody pretty much kept their businesses to themselves and those in the Krew team have been keeping it low. Everybody that was in either the press or the Mizo team have keeping an eye on them but, thankfully, no hits have been made, but intimidation went across as they put on smug faces whenever Jak walked pass. Knowing well, that whatever is going to happen in the Artifact Race is going to be more difficult with UR-86 in the game. But what Jak found curious was why did Mizo bring in a Krimzon Guard robot into the competition?

He found himself wondering this the day of the race as the team was waiting out in the Green Room. Jak was sitting on the couch with Daxter sitting not too far away. Ashelin stood near the couch with Rayn and Torn standing not too far away. Staring up at the television screen as the face of arrogance popped up.

"Hello speed lovers," Blitz' voice echoed to their ears. "We're live once again for the biggest sport on the planet. It looks like the competition's really heating up. As are the piles of smoldering wrecks on the side of the road." He laughed and then continued. "Stay tuned for all the fireworks."

"How does he get that sheen in his hair?" Daxter asked randomly. "I must know..." he trailed off as he clutched his hand and look determined.

"I guess we'll see some pros out there today," Ashelin said, looking dejected.

"Oh joy..." Rayn said with a hint of sarcasm. "That Blitz fellow gives me the creeps and the smarmy blighter's even worse in person. If only he were-" She was interrupted by the sound of the door sliding opened and the topic of the discussion walked in with a confident stride and the hovering camera not too far behind.

"Hey people, did you catch my broadcast?" Blitz asked and then whistled. "You've got some serious competition today. People have been betting big." Jak and Dax looked at each other and the blond hero shrugged. "They say this championship is gonna come down to you guys and Mizo's dream team." Blitz laughed. "Still, the odd makers say your team falls short." He looked over everyone to see their hopelessness and by the look on his face, you could honestly mistaken him to be just a _little_ _too happy_ about it.

"That's because most fools haven't figured me into the mix!" Everyone either looked up or double taked on the voice and were surprised to see a familiar face walk into the room with his Wastelander armor on, the red lens in place of his right eye while his left still has his original green color, and dark skin with strong facial features grinning at everyone in the room.

"Sig!" Jak and Daxter exclaimed at once, with very happy faces and glee overtaking them.

"Is my camera out of focus? The great King Sig has entered the competition!" Blitz exclaimed as the camera zoomed into Sig's face to get his profile. "This is going to be _better_ than I thought. But, if you'll excuse me, I've got some _real_ interviews to do." With a sort of an upset face, Blitz left the room and Sig eyed him suspiciously.

"Yeah, you do that," he muttered as he walked in more into the room. "Sorry I'm late for the party, guys. I heard about Krew's little potion. That's why I never drink on the job. I say never trust a dead man," he continued with his laughing voice as he shook his head from the memories and then added: "Don't worry, I'll help you get that antidote."

"Easy for you to say, your life's not on the line," Ashelin said.

"For my friends, it is."

"Good to have you back, Sig," Jak said as he and Dax stood up and walked over to the King, sticking out their hands for him to shake.

"Great to be back!" he exclaimed and took Jak's hand and gave a firm shake. "Now let's see about this so called 'competition.'"

* * *

Yup, with UR-86 in the competition, gotta even the odds by adding Sig. So now the next chapter will start out with the Artifact Race... not looking forward to that but we'll see what I come up with. :D

**Reviews are very helpful indeed.**


	7. Crash and Rise

Thank you everyone for the reviews and as for those that started watching this story, welcome.

OK, I gotta couple things to say so either skip this (like some of you are already are by now...) or pay attention. Can anyone tell me or PM me the link of where it says the new J&D game has been officially confirmed. I was doing a little research and saw that the game is "officially" in production. I find that kinda hard to believe considering Naughty Dog just confirmed the existence of Uncharted 2.

Another thing is that I was playing _Daxter _recently and I just happen to notice something. When you come out of the transit system level and Osmo is telling Dax that you gain access to the power station and that it was a distress call from the strip mine. Is it me or was that a reference to Vin? The Miner seemed too mellow to make that kind of call so...

And to **jenny**, OOC means **O**ut **O**f **C**haracter. Meaning the character doesn't sound the way they should act. And OC means **O**riginal **C**haracter. A character that the author has created for the story. Hope that answers your questions and I'm glad that you like my story.

Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter (hope nothing looks forced.)

* * *

Chapter 7  
Crash and Rise

"Be careful out there, Jak. Once they shoot you, they're not going to stop. And you better be ready to shoot back. Just remember to collect enough Blue Eco and get the artifact that no one is after and you'll win in no time. We'll be watching your back." He listened to the voice of Sig through his ear piece as he gripped the wheel of his newly modified racer. More robust than it previously looked and is now equipped with GPS of the stadium. Which will indicate when an artifact has emerged. Along with Daxter's help to spot and retrieve the artifact.

Just like old times.

"Thanks, Sig. Good luck," Jak said as his focus went to the arena in hand.

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the Artifact Race!" GT's voice sounded throughout the stadium. "Remember, whoever wins with ten artifacts intact, their team-"

"Will advance to the qualifying racing event to compete for the AAAARRK Red Eco Cup!" Pecker's squawk intruded.

"Yes... Thank you... Pecker... Good luck competitors and do whatever it takes to get those artifacts!"

BEEP!

BEEP!

BEEEEEEEEEEP!

"Jak! There's one at two o'clock!" He heard Daxter through his ear piece and he quickly turned to see that he was right and raced toward it. Daxter leaned out of the side and hung on to the metal caging. As soon as Daxter grabbed the artifact, Jak's side panel was rammed and he looked over to see UR-86 mechanical eyes locked on him. The robot continued ramming into him and Jak gritted his teeth. Then before he could come up with a solution, another car rammed into the KG bot from the opposite direction from Jak. Sending UR-86 rolling to the other side of the arena. Jak took a good look at the assailant to see it was only Torn. Smirking his way.

"Fight fire with fire, Jak," he said through the ear piece as he sped away. Then another popped up on his radar and raced towards it.

Sounds of explosions were heard with every turn he made. And every now and then a car had to be towed and searched for any living life. But he didn't pay too much attention considering all his focus were on the artifacts that seemed to pop up in unexpected places. Usually jumping off mounds and power sliding when one was close enough to grab. And all the while, UR-86 kept on ramming and shooting at Jak as if it were programmed to do so (which wouldn't be a surprise.) As well occasionally, Ashelin keeping her promise to getting to the object as quickly as she could without a care of who she shot. Even to a point where she used her submachine gun on the side panel of Jak's car (to this he mentally thanked Keira for the extra tough material.)

"How many do we have, Dax?!" he yelled much later into the race.

"Nine! We need one more!" He quickly looked up to see the score board with a timer below it to see he only had thirty seconds left. Plenty of time he hoped. Suddenly, an artifact turned up on the radar and it was right on his path. He let on a smirk at how easy this race turned out to be. The only challenge being UR-86 being on his tail the entire damn time.

Keira's heart was racing the entire time. Not just for the thrill of the sport but watching Jak dodging bullets and flipping through the air. Worrying for his safety as well as the rush of anticipation building. Shouts of encouragement and utter concern. And the way UR-86 being on him on every turn really had her on edge. She silently prayed to whatever God that was watching for Jak's hide.

And then, her heart stopped. Jak raced to get the last artifact and just when Daxter was getting ready to reach out to grab it, a missile from UR-86's car aimed straight for Jak. Hitting his underside and sending him literally through the air and everything went silent.

"Oooo, that _had_ to hurt," GT's voice echoed through the arena just as Jak finally landed on the roof's metal caging.

"Somebody, call a doctor!" Pecker followed with a face filled with fear.

"JAAAK!" she screamed at the top of her lungs as tears threatened to spill from her jade eyes.

"Jak!"

"Jak! What's going on?! Report!"

"Hey chili peppers! Are you OK?!"

"Jak? Jak! C'mon buddy! You gotta wake up!"

His eyelids felt heavy. He felt something severely puncturing his arm and didn't put much of his mind on it. Heat and exhaustion sprayed in every opening and felt the blood rush to the tips of his ears. He squinted them open and his vision blurred before readjusting to his surroundings. Hanging upside down from his seat. The seat belt supporting his weight and a pole from the jagged metal caging actually poking through his right shoulder. His arm hanging down useless and the pain escalating by the second. He groaned as he took his only usable to reach his forehead and groaned.

"What happened?" he asked in a rasp voice.

"'86 just blew our asses sky high. What else?" he heard a very high voice say that only added to his growing headache. Then the memory of what happened came back. He had the artifact in sight and then, BOOM! An explosion happened just below his turbo engine sending him and Daxter flipping through the air and eventually landing on the roof panel. Skidding to a halt. Then he remembered his best friend in that second and started looking around for any sign of orange fur.

He finally found him only to see that his lower body was caught underneath the metal caging and watched as he struggled to lift the heavy thing off.

"Daxter! Are you all right?" he asked and Dax let out a loud grunt.

"For the most part, yeah. Nothin' that a little green stuff can't handle," the ottsel replied with a little struggle in his voice until finally giving up on lifting the metal caging and decided to wait for the help to come.

"You don't sound worried," Jak continued with a small smile towards him.

"Y'kiddin', I've seen you get hit worse than that," Dax reassured. "Not a pretty sight, but you always managed to live." Jak didn't listen to the last part because he was looking around to see if he could get him and Daxter out of this and then, his eyes caught something that glinted from the burning metal.

"That's odd," GT noted as he watched the screen that held the timer suddenly stop.

"Huh?" Pecker asked, not taking his eyes off Jak's upturned car. He didn't care much for Daxter, but his concern laid with the blond hero.

"The timer just stopped. Huh, the thing must be broken," GT resolved offhandedly. Pecker still didn't listen as he watched one of the tow trucks come out. The guys actually came out to turn the car over and Pecker's heart raced with the anticipation.

"Please be OK, please be OK, please be OK," she repeated over and over again. Watching the guys try to flip Jak's car over. Her heart picking up on the rapid beats as fear clouded her mind. Every second seemed to take hours to pass and it wasn't going fast enough for her liking as she waited with baited breath.

Then, finally, they've successfully flipped his car over and distraught came over her to see him a little worse for wear. A piece of the metal cage protruding through his right shoulder and cuts and bruises masked his face and any other opening there was. As well as being covered in black exhaust and sweat. But then she noticed something about him that seemed a little off. He was smiling?

_What does he have to smile about?_ she thought and then she watched as he staggered to lift his only usable arm into the air and as soon as she saw what was in his hand, she reflected his smile.

"Unbelievable! Jak caught his last artifact! Jak has won the Artifact Race event!" Pecker exclaimed as his face appeared on the big screen as his voice echoed through the arena. Excitement lacing his mild Hispanic voice as he jumped up and down while flapping his wings.

"Hehe, that's right folks!" GT continued with dissatisfied look towards the monkaw. "Jak got the artifact before time ran out and because of that, he and his team are now qualified to race in the Red Cup Grand Prix! I'm sure UR-86 is feeling a little steamed right about now!"

All the while, Ashelin, Torn, and Sig drove immediately to Jak's car and got out in a heart beat to aid their comrades. Torn and Sig already climbed on to examine the damage on Jak.

"You are one crazy son of a bitch, Jak," Sig said as he grabbed the artifact out of Jak's hand and giving a hearty laugh.

"It looks like the missile blew up the underside. Sending that pipe upward through the driver seat. We have to be careful to get that thing out of you," Torn explained and no sooner had he said it, tiny foot steps were heard as well as the rattling of a tool box. Sig heard them first as he turned and saw her walking up to the wrecked car.

"And speak of the angel, did you hear what Torn said?" he asked as Keira approached and settled the toolbox down and searched for a saw to cut.

"Every word, now step aside boys," she said as she climbed on the mangled vehicle and positioned herself behind behind Jak's seat. Placing her saw to be as close to the back of the seat as possible. "OK, this might hurt a bit, Jak. Are you ready?"

He lazily turned his head around with half dazed eyes and she could tell right away that he was in enough pain as it is. "Do it," he said through gritted teeth and she sent him a nod.

She hesitantly started sawing, twisting around resulting in Jak letting out a low groan. She stopped and looked fearfully at Jak. She hated seeing him like this and it twisted her heart when she started sawing the pipe.

"Jak, here." She looked up to see Ashelin offering her hand to him. Jak took it without hesitation and she couldn't help the little pang of jealousy. "Keira, start again," Ashelin ordered and she snapped out of it and focused back on the pipe.

"Yeah, don't mind me. I'll just lay here... alone... by myself..." Daxter spoke up as he lay not too far away from Jak's car. Both his legs crushed from the impact. Then a pair of heels stopped before him. They reached down and picked him up. Cradling him in their arms as they approached the totaled car.

"Is Jak all right?" they asked and Sig turned to see Rayn holding Daxter in her arms.

"He'll live, I've seen him take worse than this," he responded and Daxter held up an arm.

"Tha's what I told him," he said. "But tha's Jak for ya, always coming out alive." The two looked down at the orange animal as he done nothing but flail his little arms.

"Are you all right, Daxter?" Sig asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'll be fine. Ol' green stuffing should be able to take care of me though," he said with a little faint in his voice.

"I'll take him to Samos then," Rayn suggested and Sig nodded. "I'll come back once Daxter is all better," she continued and then turned and headed toward the exit.

It took ten grueling minutes and Keira managed to cut the pipe through. All the while, Jak was grunting and groaning. Sweat glistening his face and holding on to Ashelin's hand for dear life. By the end of the ordeal, he was breathing heavily and was now drenched in his own sweat.

"All done," Keira said as she stood up. "Sig, you should be able to pull it out quick and easily."

Sig quickly positioned himself over Jak and gripped on the metal pipe and then gave Jak a solemn look. "Sorry, Jak. This is gonna hurt worse than what you just went through. And like Keira said, this'll come out quick."

"I got him," Torn said while he went behind Jak's seat and placed his hands on his shoulders. To hold him down in case something goes wrong.

"Now, are you ready?" Jak looked around as his vision faded in and out to see the worried faces of his friends which now fueled his determination to live through this. He nodded and the second he did, Sig pulled the pipe right out and he let out a scream that echoed through the arena. The pain was excruciating and felt like a thousand knives stabbed his insides.

Soon his scream ended and started breathing in rapid succession. The pain was receding but not by a whole lot. He then felt his arms and legs being lift and he squinted his eyes to see Sig and Torn carrying him out of the wreckage.

"Lets take him to your father, Keira. He should be able to help," Torn said and Jak had to quickly shake his head.

"N-No," he struggled to speak and everyone looked down at him. "T-Town square... Light Eco..." They all exchanged looks as Jak said all this and suddenly remembered his _unique _abilities.

"Don't just stand there, bring him there," Keira said, a tad bit irritated. Mostly on the fact that Jak seemed to get worse by the second. Sig and Torn nodded as they draped Jak's arms over their shoulder blades and supported his back. And all the while they were leaving the arena, he didn't hear the crowd in the stands cheering for him.

* * *

Meanwhile, in what appeared to be the basement of the Dust Bin (on account of the crates of beers and whiskey that were stacked against the walls,) a meeting was held. All holed up like rats with the intoxicating smell of cigarettes in the air and were a little eager what the high honcho had to say this time. They knew he's not going to show his face, considering the fact that he has never attended a meeting, so they just had to wait until the one person that knew of his identity (and in some cases existence,) to come down those stairs and get this meeting over and done with. They soon got their wish as a pair of boots came clunking down the wooden steps and the red coat flashing against the single light source hanging down from the ceiling.

"Vell, I just had an interesting talk with Mizo," his Romanian accent echoed throughout the whole room. "He is pleased that the golden boy is- 'out of commission,' but he is also upset that UR-86 let him win. Now, I'm sure it was it was unintentional, but you all know how Mizo is."

The remaining men exchanged looks as they agreed in mumbles and whispers.

"But this doesn't mean that 86 is out just yet. After all, it is built to take out Jak. But if it does get destroyed by Jak's hands, we'll just have to find a _new_ way to take him out."

Stifled laughter filled the room and looks of viciousness were exchanged.

"The next race is in a week but this is not just a regular race. It's the Red Cup Grand Prix. And if Jak lives to compete, you know what you must do. This is Combat Racing. Meaning Jak has to come in last or doesn't finish at all. And take out his meddlesome friends while you're at it. I don't care how, just do it."

* * *

"It's right this way," Sig said as they walked with Jak still slumped on his and Torn's shoulders. But he regained some of his strength to walk on his own. But there was no need when the Light Eco vent came into sight and most of his worry vanished.

They lowered him over the vent and he sat on the balls of his feet and knees rested on the ground. His hands settled on his legs as he felt the Light Eco taking affect. The pain quickly vanishing and the feeling of relief clouded his senses. He could feel the wound healing itself without it burning and a sense of renewal over came him as he slowly stood up without a problem. He then turned around and faced his friends to see them looking at him in wide eyed wonder.

"My God," Keira breathed. She has never seen Jak like this before. Looking so relieved, calm, and... dare she think it, much like the Jak she knew in Sandover Village.

He then stepped out and the atmosphere changed back to its grimy norm. An awkward pause passed over them as nobody knew what to say. To that, Jak had to stare in confusion.

"What?" he asked and they all got out of their daze and the normal haze came back to them. Then Sig walked over to him and placed his large hand on Jak's shoulder.

"You really had us going there, Jak," he said while ruffling Jak's hair and Jak pushed it away with a smile on.

"Next time UR-86 or anyone shoots at you, you _better_ have some Red Eco weapons on you," Torn commanded and then smiled and Jak nodded in his direction.

Then Keira walked over to him and surprised him by giving him a heartfelt hug.

"Just don't scare me like that anymore," she whispered in his ear and he gave in to her worry by hugging her back.

"Y'know that I can't guarantee anything, right?"

"I know. Just try, OK?" she asked back as she pulled back to look at him.

"It's getting late. We should go back to the Inn," Ashelin stated which caught everyone's attention back on to her. "We've all had a rough day, it would be best to rest up before the next race." And then she walked away without another look and the rest had to stare at her. Mostly because she sounded very cold and seemed like she didn't care at all. They knew that wasn't the case and perhaps she was right. But that didn't convince the former KG commander.

"I got her," Torn said as he left the group and went after his superior.

"Geez, what crawled up her butt and died." Their attention was brought down to the ground as they watched Daxter with Rayn following not too far behind. As soon as he saw Jak, he sprinted and made his way up to settle on his shoulder. "Light Eco, huh? That stuff never failed ya, eh buddy?" He playfully nudged the side of Jak's head with his goofy smile.

"It really is good to see you up and about, Jak," Rayn said as she walked up to him. "And because of you, we are qualified to race in the Red Cup Grand Prix."

"That's our Jak all right," Dax bragged for him. "So what and when is the next big race."

"It's in a week," Sig said before Rayn could even open her mouth. "And it's a circuit race through Spargus City."

* * *

She entered her suite not too long ago and she was really looking forward to getting to bed early. But that peace never came when she heard a pair of racing boots knock her door against the opposite wall and she quickly turned to the source of the racket to see the Commander of the Freedom League storm in and glaring at her.

"What the hell's the matter with you?!" he demanded more than asked and she didn't falter under his tone.

"I don't know what you're talking about," the Governess responded while taking her head gear off. "And I'd watch that tone," she added.

"Jak's ass gets blown to the Wasteland and you didn't even bat an eyelash," he continued while ignoring her last statement. To that, her glare hardened.

"I helped him as much as I could and you and I both know that he suffered much worse that that," she said as she threw her gear onto her bed.

"That's not the point." He took a step closer to her. "You said that you care about him and yet you shot at him."

"And I told everyone to stay out of my way, it's his fault that-"

"Don't give me that bullshit, Ashelin," he abruptly said and grabbed her by her forearms and closed the distance between their bodies. Thoroughly surprising her. "Whether you like it or not, we need each other. Now more than ever."

He let go of her and turned on his heel out the door. He closed it behind him only to have it swing open again (after breaking the door off its lock.) She just stood there, his intense glare still burned in her mind's eye as well as her steady heart beat that increased from the contact.

* * *

Lol. Yeah, I added in some game tips. Well, the ones that helped me out anyway. As well as some JakxKeira fluff and a little bit of TornxAshelin action. By the way, I edited the first few chapters. Nothing big, just grammar and detail that was needed.

Looking forward to hearing you have to say (really, they're motivating.)

Hope everyone has a happy and safe New Year.


	8. The Plans

I apologize for the long wait. Just got distracted with... well everything. Not to mention I had no idea where I was going with this chapter. But I'm determined to get this done, too good of an idea to let go. The praise helps too. Lol. But thanks to those that stuck around and reviewed. Even when I'm flimsy at times. You really are the best.

Anonymous reviewer(s):

**jenny** – Glad I can help.  
**fictionfreak** – Thanks! I'm happy that you like it!  
**Ninjaneko** – Wow thanks! That's a lot of confidence on my part.

* * *

Chapter 8  
The Plans

Keira walked down the dust filled streets. Leaving her foot prints among millions that already molded into the sand. Not many citizens roamed the streets considering the circuit crew dominated the city. Getting ready for the big event that is the Red Eco Grand Prix. She was asked to help out with the preparations but she kindly turned them down. Only because she was very busy getting the team's cars ready for the event (although, the truth was that she already finished them by the time they asked,) as well as hoping to get an audience with the King of Spargus.

She still remembered the day she first met Sig. It was after she took over her garage at the Mar Memorial Stadium and she was just starting on her secret project. Which turned out to be the rift rider that would've sent her, her father, Jak, and Daxter back to their time and living peacefully in Sandover village. However, the said rift rider was instead used to send both younger versions of her father and Jak to the past so that Jak would grow up safe and away from the horrors that was Haven City.

She walked into the seedy bar that was the Hip Hog Heaven so that she could get parts imported for the the rider from Krew. Sig was the bouncer as well as Krew's hit man and Metal Head trophy bringer. Sure she was frightened at first (and disgusted by Krew's smell,) but he has proved to be reliable and easy to talk to. It didn't take too long for him to become a surrogate father to her and she knew Jak felt the same way. Because of this, she's able to come see him whenever she needed him.

And the thing she needed from him was a mighty big request.

She eventually found the palace. Right where Jak told her it would be. She couldn't help the nervousness overcoming her as she was approaching the lift. The heaviness of her mind screaming for her to turn back and forget what she was going to ask. But her stronger half won as she stepped into the lift. She stumbled as the lift jerked and then finally made its way up. She took deep breaths during the ascend and anxiously tapped her fingers on her sides. Then light suddenly filled the dark tunnel as the throne room came into view now. It finally jerked to a stop and she had to hold her gasp at the sight.

Pools of water and waterfalls filled half the room while the huge stone throne stood on from the lift's view. Pottery and potted plants decorated the visible floor, stacked against the wall. The sounds of the waterfalls echoed and bounced off the high ceilings that's supported by columns. A window also stood on the left side of the throne that started from the floor, curving up to the mid point of the ceiling.

"Keira? What brings you by?" She shook from her stupor as she finally saw Sig descending from the throne and keeping his good eye on her. Reality soon set in as she stepped out of the lift and walking the pathway to the throne. She finally approached Sig and kept her eyes trained on the floor.

"I was hoping I could ask you a favor," she said shyly, not looking up at him. He quirked an eyebrow and thought it was kind of unusual of her. But nonetheless, he'll always come through for a friend.

"Sure, what kind of favor?" he asked her and her blush deepened.

"I... want you to..." she trailed and found the words all jumbled up. She quickly shook her head as if fighting down every butterfly in her intestines. "I want you teach me how to shoot a gun."

"What?" he asked, startled. Mostly from the elf who was asking him such a huge request. He has only known Keira for three years now and it never struck him for her to be the type to wield a weapon. In response, he merely shook his head. "Keira, you don't need to-"

"Please! I have to learn." she exclaimed and then continued. "I don't want creeps like Razer coming up to me thinking I'm weak. I want to be able to take care of myself without everyone worrying over me."

He let out a heavy sigh, he knew determination when he saw it. For now, she even had the same set in her eyes as Jak's.

"Does your father know about this?" he asked the obvious and she shook her head vigorously.

"No and he can't know. He wouldn't understand." He found irony in those words. Considering he has seen Samos blast a whole fleet of Metal Heads when he was younger as well as lead a resistance group against the Baron.

"I think you should give your father a lot of credit, he-"

"He's just overprotective! I mean, he won't even let me race!" her yell bounced off the walls and made it back to her pointed ears. She then realized how much of a child she sounded and quickly covered her mouth with her hands. "I'm sorry, Sig."

"Don't worry, we all have issues," he dismissed with an all knowing truth.

"So... are you gonna teach me?"

"What about Jak?" Wondering why she didn't go to him.

"No! If I ask him he's gonna ask why and that would leave me to tell him what happened with Razer."

"Right, and then he'll go Dark Jak on us all until he finds Razer." Hating that possibility, he let out a sigh. "All right." She smiled broadly as excitement reached her insides. "But-" That excitement went away as he stared sternly down at her. "You have to do everything that I tell you. And don't even think that my training program is gonna be easy."

She hesitated at first. She knew it wouldn't be easy, but completely forgot that Sig is a very hard man that has been through a lot. Knowing all this, she swiftly nodded.

"All right."

* * *

Cameras littered all over the place. Donations from Kras City that will be taken down immediately after the Grand Prix. Why were such high tech devices in a primitive city such as this? You'd for security reasons, but they were actually for Mizo's clutches. So he could watch all the competitors and they wouldn't know that they were being watched. And one racer in particular was littering his wall.

Jak's black and white image flashed the screens whether he was driving or just plain walking. Mizo had to keep his eyes on this lad. Especially after his recent recovery from a near death crash. Actually, it wasn't near death at all. A normal elf would've died from such a tremendous impact. Suffering from tunnel vision, blood loss, bones crushed, eventually dying from the pain alone. But here he is. Still walking with a ten pound rat on his shoulder.

All this meant that everything Kleiver had said was one hundred percent true. In this case, Jak shouldn't even be _allowed_ to race. He should disqualify him. But he couldn't.

He knew fully well that if he did, the press would be all over the matter and accusations of wrongful termination would surface. Thus canceling the Championship. He couldn't have that. Too much money was at stake. Not only that, he finally got the Marauders up in the Icelands to agree to hold the Green Eco Grand Prix. He didn't even want to think how those behemoths would react if the race was all of the sudden canceled.

He mentally cursed at Jak.

He had to compete. Even if he can't die.

For now, he'll have to continue to survey Jak's every movements.

* * *

Jak walked in to Krew's garage and found his fellow racers already there. As soon as they saw them, they all nodded and smiled at him. Treating him like the crash from the previous had never happened. And Jak was glad for that. Only because he never wanted to be treated any differently. He eventually spotted Keira standing next to Sig and automatically walked over to her.

"Hey Jak," she said as he approached her.

"Hey," he said back and the two shared a small stare.

"So when's this meeting going to be over?" Daxter rudely asked as he got off Jak's shoulder and stood on Torn's car hood. "I'm in a dire mood to catch some Zzz's."

He laid back on the car hood and closed his eyes. He called up his girlfriend, Tess, the previous night and she told him everything that's been happening since he left Haven. And when I say everything, I mean _everything._ The Naughty Ottsel, the rebuilding, various weapons that inspired her lately, the croco-dog that urinated off the corner, all the things Daxter didn't need to hear. But being the good ottsel that he is, he let his girlfriend go on with no stop. But of course she had to ask why he had entered the race and he didn't have the heart to tell her.

Tess was also invited to the reading of the will but someone had to stay behind and look after the Naughty Ottsel. Tess volunteered as she knew very well that Jak and Daxter were inseparable. It's a good thing that she didn't, Daxter had thought. He didn't want her to suffer the same thing he had.

But to answer her question about him entering the race, he promised he would tell her once he got the chance to come back home. Hopefully, he'll be alive when that happens (but also dreading it.)

"Sleep on someone else's car," he jumped from Torn's commanding voice and he quickly scurried off and found a place on the counter.

"Rayn should be here any moment," Keira said as she looked up at the wall clock. She wanted to finish up with the cars as well as wait for Jak's new car to come in. His old one was totaled beyond repair after all. And soon after she had said it, the door slid open and Rayn's bouncing blue hair bun came strolling in and she held a rather large poster in her arms.

"Thank you for meeting with me here," she said as she strolled to Ashelin's car and placed the poster on top of the hood (her's had the biggest hood.) "I have the map of the track."

Everyone gathered around the hood and looked down at the large map. It had marks, symbols, numbers, and a map legend. Jak knew the city very well and could see how the track laid on top of the place and spotting landmarks that would essentially help in the race.

"We need to devise a plan and make sure we come out with the cup," Rayn continued as Jak continued to study. "The starting point is right here." She pointed to the near top and he could see that they were starting off in the square.

"Red and Yellow Eco will be there right at the start," Ashelin pointed out.

"Which means whoever comes first will go for the Red," Torn added.

"Leaving Yellow for the rest of us," Sig continued.

They continued to discuss their strategy as well as predicting fellow competitors movements. Memorizing the sharp turns and places Green Eco would be available.

"This area is open," Jak pointed to the area marked by the number five. Noting how wide that part of the track was. "It would give a very large chance for the other teams to catch up or off one of us." Everyone else took note of that. But in all reality though, this race would be very much unpredictable. Even with two laps, leftover red eco bombs from the previous lap could be still sitting there, waiting for some unlucky soul to run over it.

They also took note of the terrain. Being that Spargus is a desert city meant that there would be more dirt roads than solid rock. So they had to be careful when power sliding sharp turns.

Eventually, they have gone over everything about the track and came to agree on every turn. But another aspect of this race that would be challenge is that it's being held at night. Meaning flood lights will shower the track and giving a stunning look for the viewers and spectators. What it really was was a home field advantage for the racers. Giving every opportunity they will have and no room for error.

They had spent a good hour plotting and mapping out everything in their heads as well as giving Keira something to work with for the cars. Rayn had left with the plans and leaving heads filled information to win this cup and be one step closer to the antidote.

All the while, Ashelin thought it was suspicious that Rayn "obtained" the maps and doesn't have a bruise to show for it. What did she do? Bribery? Flaunting? More possibilities filled Ashelin's mind.

"I know that look." She was startled out of her thoughts and she saw that she left the garage and Torn was walking beside her.

"What look?" she asked although wasn't really a question.

"You have that look when you're thinking too much," he said simply and she gave him a quirked eyebrow. "You looked a little paranoid."

"Watching my back from untrustworthy people is now being considered paranoia?" she scoffed and he shook his head.

"She's _poisoned_, Ashelin. Just like us," he whispered.

"Still doesn't change the fact that she's Krew's daughter." Torn let out an irritated sigh.

"Just because she's his daughter, doesn't mean she's just like him." She still wasn't convinced. At that, he shook his head. "Let me put it to you this way, what if somebody didn't trust you because of what the Baron did." She stopped in her tracks and had an unreadable look. He stopped as well to look at her and he never seen her look that way before. It was a mixture of fear, anger, doubt, and hundreds of other emotions he couldn't name right off the bat. Then, all that went away in less than a nanosecond and she looked extremely angry at him.

"That was a low blow," she sneered at him and he looked unflinchingly down at her.

"I don't regret it," he told her with a shrug of his shoulders and he walked again. Leaving the stunned governess behind.

She absolutely hated that he brought up a very strong point. She was close to threatening him over his position in the Freedom League, but she couldn't find it inside of her to do just that.

What's that damn power he has over her?

* * *

Jak had remained behind in the garage after the meeting was over. Watching Keira rig Sig's car to be more wind resistant. Like her, he was waiting for his new car to come in. Blitz promised them that after Jak's life threatening crash, he would provide him with a new one. Blitz hasn't gone back on his word yet so Jak found it to trust him on that.

Daxter, however, was sound asleep on the counter. That call to Tess must've really drained him out last night. Couldn't say he blamed the little ottsel. If he a chatter box for a girlfriend, he'd be exhausted too.

With this calming atmosphere, he began to think more of the crash. It had been three days since the Artifact Race win and he found every minute of it to be odd. Mostly on UR-86's part. It only went after Jak and not the other racers. Another thing was that KG bots weren't being built anymore. Factories shut down and everything having to do with the robots was destroyed. So how did this one slip pass without anyone knowing? More so of where it came from.

"What're you thinking?" He was brought of his thoughts to see that Keira was wiping her hands on an oil covered rag and he shook his head out of his trance.

"Just the last race," he said simply and she shook her head.

"I don't even want to think about that." It's the truth, she didn't want to relive the horrifying moment his car flipped over and the pain in his face when removing the pipe from his shoulder. It broke her heart to his face like that. Sure he's been through worse, but she still didn't want to think about it.

"I know what you mean," he started. "But some things just didn't seem to make sense, that's all."

"Well, the situation we're in now doesn't make much sense either, but we have to live with it. Right?" He shrugged to that. It's true, what Krew did to them didn't make much sense either. But like Keira said, they had to live with it until the antidote is in their reach.

"You're pretty optimistic," he noted with a smile and she just smiled back.

"Somebody has to, right?" Another truth spoken. That's one thing he liked about her, she can always brighten up the darkest of moods. Even with the thought that she's slowly dying... actually, he didn't know what's keeping her going right now. Maybe it's what she had said a couple weeks ago, that she believes he would save them once again. He didn't know why, but he liked that she has a lot of trust in him.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

He was brought out of his thinking as Keira walked to the door and saw someone with a clipboard and the guy appeared to be someone from the circuit. Meaning Jak's new toy just arrived.

Keira opened the garage door and was towed right in. Jak walked over to it and he had the look where a kid enters a candy store.

"Wow. The Howler 99," he heard Keira whistle next to him. "A very fast ride and the tires will do well on the dirt roads. You're gonna have to be careful when you power slide though. How 'bout it, Jak? Jak?" She waved her hand in front of his face but he didn't get a response. She let out an irritated sigh. She always found it annoying when he's fixated on something having to do with 'fast' and 'furious.'

Men and cars. Two concepts she'll never understand. And she works with them!

Fortunately, Daxter woke up when the guy knocked on the door and took his perch on Jak's shoulder again. When he saw Jak's face, he couldn't help but laugh as he hit him upside the head.

"Hey! What'd you do that for?" Jak asked Daxter and the animal just continued to laugh.

"Because you started to drool!" Dax replied between laughs and Jak quickly wiped his mouth as saw that he lied and he sent Dax a nasty glare. Then he heard the ottsel whistle and he fathomed a guess that Dax just saw the 99. "What a beauty, we can definitely win the cup with this baby."

"Assuming Jak doesn't trash it," Keira said, teasingly while Dax laughed and Jak reverted his glare to her. What is this? Pick on Jak day? "Anyhow, I'll be doing modifications to it so you won't have much to worry about." She walked back to the counter where she laid the 99's schematics (she was given them when the car came) and already, her mind was completely closed off to everything.

"Like it needs any," Dax grunted and she didn't even hear him. With that, he got annoyed really fast. "Hello? Keira?" He got off Jak's shoulder and walked up behind her. He climbed up the counter and saw her focused face on. He waved his furry hand in front of her face and she didn't even blink. He let out a low laugh as he started making faces in front of her.

"Cut it out, Dax," Jak said as he walked to them. Adding another glare to the orange animal. Making him stop almost immediately.

As soon as Jak's glare dissipated, he took a moment to admire Keira's focus. He remembered her having that same look on her face when she was working on the A-Grav. She was only fourteen at the time and already, she proved to be a very abled mechanic. A role normally fit for a full grown man. But for Keira... Jak wouldn't trust anyone other than her to fix his car. A number of times, he had told her (well, being a fifteen year old mute, more like his facial expressions) that she was a genius in her craft and he'd smile at her blush.

He shook out of his thoughts to see Keira no longer standing near him. His eyes searched for her and saw she was standing by the 99 again.

"Keira's in one of her modes again," Daxter complained. "Lets get out of here before she 'accidentally' throws a wrench at our heads." Jak had to agree right there.

Once when they were around ten or eleven years old, he and Dax snuck up on Keira while her focus was on and when Dax tried to get her attention... Lets say he left with a large bruise on his forehead.

They had left garage with Daxter on his usual perch on Jak's shoulder and his only thought now was the big race.

Tomorrow's the big day.

* * *

The next chapter is gonna be the big race. I'm gonna have to play that track again... Also, if you've have the Jak X strategy guide, go to page 151. That's the track that's gonna used. I gotta say, can't wait to write out that race.

Anyhow, thanks again to everyone who is still sticking with this story and I'd also like to thank **The Once and Future Thing** for offering to continue this story for me. It was a very sweet gesture and it got me more motivated to continue this story.

Don't worry though, this is not gonna be a 'once a year' update (what can I say? I've been busy with other projects and what not) and I can say that I've already started writing the next chapter. So you'll be expecting that in a month or so (maybe more, can't say how long.)

Again, thanks everyone for putting up with me and I hope that you enjoyed this chapter.


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